All the rowboats, in the paintings They keep trying to row away And the captain's worried faces Stay contorted and staring at the waves They'll keep hanging, in their gold frames For forever, forever and a day All the rowboats, in the oil paintings They keep trying to row away, row away
Hear them whispering, French and German Dutch, Italian and Latin When no one's looking, I touch a sculpture Marble, gold, and soft as satin But the most special are the most lonely God, I pity the violins In glass coffins, they keep coughin' They've forgotten, forgotten how to sing, how to sing
First there's lights out, then there's lock up Masterpieces serving maximum sentences It's their own fault for being timeless There's a price to pay, and a consequence All the galleries and museums \"Here's your ticket, welcome to the tombs\" They're just public mausoleums-- The living dead fill every room But the most special are the most lonely God, I pity the violins In glass coffins, they keep coughin' They've forgotten, forgotten how to sing
They will hang there, in their gold frames For forever, forever and a day All the rowboats in the oil paintings They keep trying to row away, row away
First there's lights out, then there's lock up Masterpieces serving maximum sentences It's their own fault for being timeless There's a price to pay, and a consequence All the galleries and museums They will stay there forever and a day
All the rowboats in the oil paintings They keep trying to row away, row away All the rowboats in the oil paintings They keep trying to row away, row away