Harness Your Hopes Lyrics
[Intro]
Ah! Ah! La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-sha-sha-sha-ah, sha-sha-sha-sha-ah
Sha-sha-sha-sha
[Verse 1]
Harness your hopes on just one person
Because you know a harness was only made for one
Don't telegraph your passes, you'll end up with molasses
Cauterized in syrup and syrup and molasses
And I'm checking out the asses, the assets that attract us
To anything that moves, we're deep inside the grooves
And it's time to shake the rations, 'cause someone's gonna cash in
The plot, it turns again, the reference starts at ten
[Verse 2]
Well, show me a word that rhymes with Pavement
And I won't kill your parents and roast them on a spit
And a-don't you try to etch it, or permanently sketch it
Or you're gonna catch a bad, bad cold
And the freaks have stormed the White House
I moved into a lighthouse
It's on a scenic quay, it's oh so far away
Far away from the beginning, the shroud is made of linen
The yearling took the purse, the goth kid has a hearse
Ah! Ah! La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Sha-sha-sha-sha-ah, sha-sha-sha-sha-ah
Sha-sha-sha-sha
[Verse 1]
Harness your hopes on just one person
Because you know a harness was only made for one
Don't telegraph your passes, you'll end up with molasses
Cauterized in syrup and syrup and molasses
And I'm checking out the asses, the assets that attract us
To anything that moves, we're deep inside the grooves
And it's time to shake the rations, 'cause someone's gonna cash in
The plot, it turns again, the reference starts at ten
[Verse 2]
Well, show me a word that rhymes with Pavement
And I won't kill your parents and roast them on a spit
And a-don't you try to etch it, or permanently sketch it
Or you're gonna catch a bad, bad cold
And the freaks have stormed the White House
I moved into a lighthouse
It's on a scenic quay, it's oh so far away
Far away from the beginning, the shroud is made of linen
The yearling took the purse, the goth kid has a hearse
[Chorus 1]
Heartbreaking, earthquaking, Kiwis, they are home baking
Minds wide open truly
[Verse 3]
Leisure, a leisure suit is nothing
It's nothing to be proud of in this late century
And I'm asking you to hold me just like the morning paper
Pinched between your pointer, your index and your thumb
It's a semi-automatic, believers are ecstatic
You see the way they cling, the cold metallic sting
And I'm living in a coma for Donna de Varona
The harness made of hopes, the lovers on the ropes
[Chorus 2]
Nun is to church as the parrot is to perch
And my heart's wide open truly
Heartbreaking, earthquaking, Kiwis, they are home baking
Minds wide open truly
[Verse 3]
Leisure, a leisure suit is nothing
It's nothing to be proud of in this late century
And I'm asking you to hold me just like the morning paper
Pinched between your pointer, your index and your thumb
It's a semi-automatic, believers are ecstatic
You see the way they cling, the cold metallic sting
And I'm living in a coma for Donna de Varona
The harness made of hopes, the lovers on the ropes
[Chorus 2]
Nun is to church as the parrot is to perch
And my heart's wide open truly
About
Genius Annotation
“Harness Your Hopes” was originally an incredibly obscure B-side by the band present on the Spit on a Stranger single quietly released in 1999. It was also released as a separate single in France.
For a long time the song was largely unknown to most except the most seasoned Pavement fans, to the point where frontman Stephen Malkmus did not even recognise the song when he heard it played in a bakery. Upon Spotify rolling out its “autoplay” feature in 2017, the song quickly became the band’s most popular on streaming services for no discernable reason, and became popular as a song on TikTok.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.Harness Your Hopes
Credits
Tags
Comments
