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Listen to The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
ALBUMThe Crane WifeThe Decemberists
Listen to The Decemberists Essentials featuring The Decemberists
PLAYLISTThe Decemberists EssentialsApple Music Indie
Listen to The Decemberists: Deep Cuts featuring The Decemberists
PLAYLISTThe Decemberists: Deep CutsApple Music Alternative

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
The Decemberists
The Decemberists
Performer
Chris Funk
Chris Funk
Bouzouki
Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Keyboards
Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Vocals
Eyvind Kang
Eyvind Kang
Viola
Ezra Holbrook
Ezra Holbrook
Background Vocals
Jenny Conlee
Jenny Conlee
Accordion
John Moen
John Moen
Drums
Nate Query
Nate Query
Upright Bass
Steve Drizos
Steve Drizos
Drums
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Composer
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
The Decemberists
The Decemberists
Producer
Tucker Martine
Tucker Martine
Producer
Rich Hipp
Rich Hipp
Assistant Recording Engineer
Roger Seibel
Roger Seibel
Mastering Engineer
Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Producer

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Sing, muse, of the passion of the pistol
Sing, muse, of the warning by the whistle
On a night so dark in the waning
A dawn obscured by slate sky raining (slate sky raining, raining, raining)
[Verse 2]
Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir
A teenage lookout on the signal tower
The mogul's daughter in hogtie
The mogul fingers the wrong guy, all lies (all lies, all lies, all lies)
[Verse 3]
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, perfect crime
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect crime
[Verse 4]
The bagman's quaking at the fingers
The hand-off glance a little lingers
A well-dressed man in the crosshairs (crosshairs, crosshairs, crosshairs)
A shot rings out from somewhere upstairs (upstairs, upstairs, upstairs)
[Verse 5]
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect crime
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, perfect crime
It was a perfect crime
[Verse 6]
It was like a ticker-tape parade
When the plastique on the safe was blown away
And we all gazed from eye to eye
As we mouthed our silent goodbyes
[Verse 7]
The valley's sleeping like a bastard
It stinks of slumber and disaster
Two words I spoke on the tap wire
The agent's ploy finds a surefire backfire (backfire, backfire, backfire)
[Verse 8]
It was a perfect, perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, perfect crime
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect crime
It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
A perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect
Perfect, perfect, perfect, it's a perfect crime
Written by: Colin Meloy

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