White Shadow Waltz Songtext
von Okkervil River

Abandoned by all her admirers
Wild White Shadow Waltz
Stands alone on a stair down the hall
Just one slip from a trip and a fall

In the cold morning, holding her lighter
One White Shadow Waltz
Stirs, sputters and stalls
Wakes, wavers and walks right through her prison walls

She says, "The doorbell is ringing
Go see who it is
Our little island′s sinking into mist"

A day came, a night went, it lightened
An animal broke his way out
Moped through the scattering crowd
And crawled back to his circus shell


And circling the zoo's screaming clients
Was White Shadow Waltz
Deaf to their torn breaths and calls
Wait, take a look closer hey, he′s hardly moving at all

She says that "someone is knocking
Go see who it is
Our little world is shaking, I guess
Our little world is breaking"

In the presence of all our despisers
We'll falter and crawl to the bed
The world is a black shadow bled
And what is this tune in my head?

She says, "It's just the white wind when it whimpers
And it′s just the black rain when it squalls
It′s just white meat whistling a waltz
It's just nine hands wiping a white shadow off of the walls"