The Hold Steady: I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You

I heard the Cityscape Skins are kinda kicking it again
Heard they finally got some discipline
Running up the score and stocking up like it's World War IV
I heard that some are getting sprung and some are back in
You know it's always back and forth
And most of them are dead
And some don't even live here anymore

So when I brought you back here for Christmas
I didn't think we would see them
I guess I should've explained

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
And I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you
There were times that it terrified me
I know what they said, I don't know if it's true
I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you

They're building a bunker down by the river
And someone said that that's where they've been getting together
They got masks for the gas, they're sleeping in their bulletproof vests
I guess Shepard came out of St. Cloud with a little ideology
Some new way of thinking, man
A view to the future
Jesus, this might be a mess

For me, it was mostly the music
I couldn't go to the shows with
I guess I should've explained

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
And I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you
There were times that it terrified me
I know what they said, I don't know if it's true
I hope this whole thing didn't frighten you

They never care if it's true
As long as they got something to prove
And they always got something to prove

And the room full of dudes
And they cranked up the tunes
And I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you

There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see
There's just these guys that I know, we go back pretty deep
I saw you look at his shoes, I saw you look at their teeth
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you
So you tapped me on the arm like you wanted to cruise
I could tell this whole thing kind of frightened you