Bright Eyes
Lyric guide

Shell Games

Read Shell Games lyrics by Bright Eyes on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Bright Eyes visibility2 visits Video on page
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Bright Eyes Canonical path: /bright-eyes/shell-games Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

Shell Games

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Took the fireworks and the vanity

The circuitboard and the city streets

Shooting star, swaying palm tree

Laid it at the arbiter's feet

If I could change my mind, change the paradigm

Prepare myself for another life

Forgive myself for the many times

I was cruel to something helpless and weak

But here it come, that heavy love

I'm never gonna move it alone

Here it come, that heavy love

Tag it on a tenement wall

Here it come that heavy love, someone gotta share in the load

Oh, here it come that heavy love, I'm never gonna move it alone

But here it come, that heavy love

I'm never going to move it alone

Here it come, that heavy love

Tag it on a tenement wall

Here it come, that heavy love

Someone got to share in the load

Here it come, that heavy love

I'm never going to move it alone

I was dressed in white, touched by something pure

Death obsessed like a teenager

Sold my tortured youth, piss and vinegar

I'm still angry with no reason to be

At the architect who imagined this

For the everyman, blessed Sisyphus

Slipping steadily into madness

Now that's the only place to be free

But here it come, that heavy love

You're never going to move it alone

Here it come, that heavy love

Tattooed on a criminal's arm

Here it come, that heavy love

Someone got to share in the load

Here it come, that heavy love

You're never going to move it alone

No, I don't want to play

It's a shell game, it's a shell game

Distorted sounds on oscilloscopes

Distorted facts, I could never cope

My private life is an inside joke

No one will explain it to me

We'll be everything that we ever needed

Everyone, on the count of three!

Everyone, on the count of three!

All together now!

Here it come, that heavy love

We're never going to move it alone

Here it come, that heavy love

Playing as the cylinder rose

Here it come, that heavy love

I only want to share in the load

Here it come, that heavy love

I'm never going to move it alone

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Shell Games"?

Bright Eyes performs "Shell Games", and this lyric page sits inside the Bright Eyes catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Shell Games"?

Yes. The related section below points to Amy In The White Coat and Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Bright Eyes?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Bright Eyes's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Shell Games yet.