Life During Wartime Lyrics
Heard of a van that's loaded with weapons
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites out by the highway
A place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto
I've lived all over this town
[Chorus]
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing or lovey-dovey
I ain't got time for that now
[Verse 2]
Transmit the message to the receiver
Hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, a couple of visas
You don't even know my real name
High on a hillside, the trucks are loading
Everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime and I work in the nighttime
I might not ever get home
[Chorus]
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
This ain't no fooling around
This ain't no Mudd Club or C.B.G.B.
I ain't got time for that now
[Verse 3]
Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody see you up there
I got some groceries, some peanut butter
To last a couple of days
But I ain't got no speakers, ain't got no headphones
Ain't got no records to play
[Chorus]
Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send no postcard
I ain't got time for that now
[Verse 4]
Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
We blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines
I know that that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle so many times now
I don't know what I look like
[Verse 5]
You make me shiver, I feel so tender
We make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving
You ought to get you some sleep
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
The burning keeps me alive
Get your instructions, follow directions
Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can't write a letter, can't send no postcard
I ain't got time for that now
[Verse 4]
Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
We blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines
I know that that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle so many times now
I don't know what I look like
[Verse 5]
You make me shiver, I feel so tender
We make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving
You ought to get you some sleep
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
The burning keeps me alive
Get your instructions, follow directions
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What did Talking Heads say about "Life During Wartime"?
Genius Answer
I wrote this in my loft on Seventh and Avenue A. I was thinking about Baader-Meinhof. Patty Hearst. Tompkins Square. This a song about living in Alphabet City.“
–Bowman, David (2001). *This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century. *
- 7.Pulled Up
- 9.Warning Sign
- 10.Artists Only
- 12.No Compassion
- 13.Stay Hungry
- 14.I’m Not in Love
- 15.The Book I Read
- 17.Found a Job
- 20.The Big Country
- 21.Heaven
- 22.I Zimbra
- 24.Life During Wartime
- 25.Air
- 30.Listening Wind
- 31.Houses in Motion
- 36.Slippery People
- 37.Swamp
- 39.And She Was
- 40.Stay Up Late
- 43.Road to Nowhere
- 44.Wild Wild Life
- 45.Love for Sale
- 46.People Like Us
- 48.City of Dreams
- 49.Blind
- 50.Mr. Jones
- 53.In Asking Land
- 54.Sax and Violins
Credits
Released on
August 3, 1979
Producers
Writers
Mastered At
Mixed At
Congas
Background Vocals
Label
Keyboards
Guitar
Vocals
Bass
Drums
Recorded At
Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's loft, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, United States; The Hit Factory, Atlantic Studios, RPM Studios, and the Record Plant, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Songs That Sample Life During Wartime
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