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An Attempt to Tip the Scales chords by
Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes

N/A
Verse 1
D

F#m
G

A
D

Did you expect
F#m

it all to stop
G
A

At the wave of your hand?
D
F#m

Like the sun's just gonna drop
G

If it's night you demand
A
D
F#m

Well, in the dark we're just air
G
A

So the house might dissolve
D

Once we're gone, who is gonna care
F#m
G
A

If we were ever here at all?
G
Well,
Verse 2

summer is gonna come
A

it's Gonna cloud our eyes again
F#m

No need to focus
G
A

When there is nothing that's worth seeing
Verse 3
A
D
F#m

So we trade liquor for blood
G

And in an at tempt to tip the scales
A
D
F#m

I think you lost what you loved
G

In that mess of details
A

They seemed so im
F#m

portant at the time
G

Now you can't even recall
F#m

Any names, faces, or lines
D
G
A

It's more the feeling of it all
G
Well, winter is gonna end I'm
Verse 4

A

going to clean these veins again
F#m
D

So close to dy ing that I
G
A

fi nally can start living
Interlude 1

Oh, yeah
D
F#m

G
A

D
F#m

G
A

D

A
G

F#m
D


Verse 5
D

Hi, we're back This is Radio


And we're here with Conor Oberst of the band

Bright Eyes

How are you doing Conor?

Fine, thanks

Just a little wet

Oh, it's still coming down out

there?

Yeah, I sorta had to run from the car


Well, we are glad you made it

Now, your new album fevers and mirrors

Tell us a little bit about the title

I noticed there is a good deal

of repeated imagery in the lyrics

Fevers, mirrors, scales, clocks

Could you discuss some of this?

Sure, let's see

The fever is (first)

First, let me say that this is a brilliant

record, man

We're all really into it here at the

station

We get lot's of calls, it's

really good stuff

Thanks, thanks a lot

So, talk a little bit about some

of the symbolism

The fever?

Sure

Well, the fever is basically whatever ails you or

oppresses you

It could be anything

In my case it's my neurosis, my

depression

But I don't want to be limited to that


It's certainly different

for different people

It's whatever keeps you up at night

(I see)

And the mirror is like,

as you might've guessed

Self-examination or or reflection, whatever

form

This could be vanity or self-loathing

I I know I'm guilty of both

That's interesting, how about the scale?

The scale's essentially our attempt to

solve our problems quantitatively
Bm
D

Through logic or rationalization

In my opinion, it's often fruitless but

Always, not always

And the clocks and calendars,

it's just time

Our little measurements,

it's like always chasing after us

It is, it is

Uh, how about this Arienette? How

does she fit into all of this

I'd prefer not to talk about it, in

case she's listening

Oh, I'm sorry,

I didn't realize she's a real person

She's not, but I made her up

Oh, so she's not real?

Just as real as you or I

I don't think I understand

Neither do I,

but after I grow up I will

You know what?

A lot of things are really unclear for me right

now

That's interesting,

now you mentioned your depression

No I didn't

You're from Nebraska right?

Yeah, so?

Now let me know if I'm getting

to personal

But there seems to be a pretty dark past

back there somewhere

What was it like for you growing up?

Dark? Not really

Um, actually I had a great childhood

My parents are wonderful,

I went to Catholic school

They have, they had money, so

It was all easy

I basically had everything

I wanted handed to me

Really?

So some of the references like babies in

bathtubs are not biographical?

Well I did have a brother who died in a bathtub,

drowned

Actually I had 5 brothers that

died that way

Haha

No, I'm serious

My mother drowned one every year for

5 consecutive years

They were all named Patrick

So that's, they all got one song

Hmm

It's kinda like walking

out a door to discover it's a window

But your music is certainly very

personal

Of course, I put my a lot of myself

into what I do

But it's like being an author

You have to free yourself to use symbolism

and allegory to reach your goal

And a part of that is compassion,
A
D

empathy for other people and their situations

So what I sing about comes from

other people experiences as well as my own

It shouldn't matter, the message

is intended to be universal

I see what you mean

Can you make that sound stop please?

Yes
A

And your goal?
A
D
A

I don't know, uh, create feelings I guess?
D

A song, it never ends up the way you

plan it

That's funny you would say that,

do you think that

Do you ever hear things that aren't

really there?

I'm sorry, what?

Never mind

How long have you

worked at this station?

Just a few minutes

Uh, now you mentioned

empathy for others
A

Would you say that is what motivates you
D

to make the music that you make?

No, not really
D

It's more a need for sympathy

(depression)

I want people to feel sorry for me

I like to feel the burn of the

audiences eyes on me

When I'm whispering all my darkest secrets

into the microphone

(Like we're a god damn fucking,

hospital)

(But it's just a little fucking VJ radio

bullshit show man)

When I was a kid I used to carry this safety
D

pin around with me

Everywhere I went, in my pocket and

When people weren't paying enough attention to me (what the fuck do you think

we are?)

I'd dig it into my arm until I started crying (are we recording

artists or puppets?)

Everyone would stop what they were doing and ask
A

me what was the matter

I guess, I kinda liked that
A

Really? You're telling me you're doing this all for attention?

(this is bullshit dude)

No, I hate it when people look at me

I get nauseous

In fact, I could care less what people think

about me

Do you feel well? Wanna dance?

No, I'm feeling sick

I really just wanna be warm yellow
A

light that pours all over everyone I love

So you're going to play something for us

now, is this a new song?

Yeah, but I haven't written it yet


It's one I've been meaning to write

Called, "A Song To Pass The Time"

(yeah)

Oh that's a nice title

Mmm

You should write your own script

Yeah, no (check the fucking

mic)

(I kept singing today)

How did you like the song?

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Chords
  • D

  • F#m

    2
  • G

  • A

  • Bm

    2

Capo: 0

Transpose: 0

0

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