Self Defense

Album: Suicane Gratification (1999)
Play Video
  • Cheekbones and hormones
    Your only self-defense
    Lying through dinner
    And your rock and roll teeth again
    You've harbored a coward
    Fed him full of broth
    This nocturnal sadness
    Leave you pale as this tablecloth
    Careful don't you spill your dinner
    That would be a good defense
    Then you wouldn't have to sit here
    On the fence

    Cheekbones and hormones
    He's the accidental man
    Tell you in a stage whisper
    about the boy who cried benefit
    As the poet drags the darkness
    Within him to the light
    It's only in self-defense
    That they drag you out into the night
    Careful don't you spill your dinner
    That would be your best defense
    Careful what you wish for

    An idiot and a genius
    Standing up to dine
    Breaking man made laws
    Cause I only follow those that are divine
    And only when you're chased
    Do you ever run fast
    And it's wrong to commit a suicide
    It's only in self-defense Writer/s: PAUL WESTERBERG
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 1

  • John from Levittown, NyShawn Colvin sings backup on this song. Westerberg has said this song took him six months to write, as opposed to most of his stuff, which tends to be quickly written when the inspiration hits him. A truly underappreciated musician and lyricist.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.