Year of the Tiger Lyrics
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
[Verse 1]
When I was young
Coach called me the tiger
(Oh, America, can I owe you one?)
I always had
A knack with the danger
(Oh, America, can I owe you one?)
[Chorus]
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
[Verse 2]
Italian shoes
Like these rubes know the difference
Suitcase of cash
In the back of my stick shift
I had to be the best of the bourgeoisie
Now my kingdom for a cup of coffee
[Chorus]
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
[Bridge]
Oh, America, can I owe you one?
Oh, America, can I owe you one?
Oh, America, can I owe you one?
Oh, America, can I owe you one?
[Chorus]
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
Living in fear in the year of the tiger
[Refrain]
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
About
“Year of the Tiger” is the last track from St. Vincent’s third album, Strange Mercy.
2010, the titular Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar, was a personally “difficult” year for Annie Clark. In one interview, she observed:,
I talked to a lot of people who said that 2010 was the worst year of their lives. I remember talking to a friend who was telling me in early 2010 that it was supposed to be really turbulent and traumatic. ‘The highs are supposed to be really high and the lows are supposed to be really low.’ I thought, Okay, yeah, yeah, whatever — and it turned out to be possibly the worst year in life. So I was trying to make something productive and useful out of it, making it into a song."
Clark suffered from a deep depression that year that was the result of losing her father to a 12 year prison sentence.
Notably, this is the only song in her discography where her mother, Sharon Clark, is credited as a songwriter.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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