The Decemberists - The Bagman's Gambit (from Picaresque)

[@zoggey]

this songs story literally makes me go so insane I could spend hours just analyzing allllll these lyrics. these little guys... I'm like rattling them around in my brain ugh

[@sleepymongoose6663]

"The Bagman's Gambit" On the lam from the law On the steps of the capitol You shot a plainclothes cop on the ten o'clock And I saw momentarily They flashed a photograph, it couldn't be you You'd been abused so horribly But you were there in some anonymous room And I recall that fall I was working for the government And in a bathroom stall off the National Mall How we kissed so sweetly How could I refuse a favor or two For a trist in the greenery I gave you documents and microfilm, too And from my ten floor tenement Where once our bodies lay How I long to hear you say No, they'll never catch me now No, they'll never catch me No, they cannot catch me now We will escape somehow Somehow It was late one night I was awoken by the telephone I heard a strangled cry on the end of the line Purloined in Petrograd They were suspicious of where your loyalties lay So I paid off a bureaucrat To convince your captors they're to secret you away And at the gate of the embassy Our hands met through the bars As your whisper stilled my heart No, they'll never catch me now No, they'll never catch me No, they cannot catch me now We will escape somehow Somehow And I dreamt one night You were there in fours Head held high In uniform It was ten years on When you resurfaced in a motorcar With the wave of an arm You were there and gone

[@danielcropp8553]

thanks!

[@Disney-Binky]

Thank you very much!!

[@hawthornleaf5909]

One of my favourite Decemberists songs, a real beauty.

[@KidCorporate]

The fragility, then the strength, then the fragility, and so on... This must be what spying truly feels like.

[@davidfriend6462]

I've always wondered who's arm was doing the waving. It's either her waving briefly to man she rolled as an intelligence asset. Or its his arm, because he's still an operative and he's giving the order to have a spy eliminated. "With a wave of an arm, you were there and gone..."

[@johnnycakes8673]

That last line gets me

[@mynameisfinity240]

me too.

[@jesuscardona4432]

And in the wave of an arm, you were dead and gone

[@genequist3859]

Being in love with someone who is in an unwinnable situation and being willing to risk all just to be with them. We will escape, somehow.. Yeah, right..

[@inoshikachokonoyarobakayar2493]

Yet we always root for them anyway 🙂

[@genequist3859]

And I dreamt that night, you were there in court, hands held high, in unifoooorm --- coolest part

[@KimLaCapria]

this is me and my late husband's song and today is his anniversary

[@pureo_nikku]

"with a wave of an arm you were there and gone" thinking about her...

[@ajhalkeright7043]

I love these songs so much.

[@thurstonismysoul3036]

amazing song

[@thiskid990]

wait, is there no music video for this?? thats weird, i remember there being one haha

[@KidCorporate]

We all made one in our heads

[@Bye-son]

this really reminds me of season 5 ep 3 of x files. almost everything they describe in this song, happens in that episode

[@donihee137]

I always think the lyrics should be “you resurfaced in a motorcade” cause I picture them President now.

[@kimayagrace6065]

i want this played at my funeral

[@lyrqk5829]

thanks foone

[@lunafrankenstein2566]

How I long to hear you say...

[@firehawk7934]

No they'll never catch me now

[@ivyj.9489]

what if we were spies and we kissed in a bathroom stall off the national mall and we were both boys

[@gametime8303]

Jk

[@gametime8303]

Unless.........

[@rungler]

i thought u were me and i got so confused because that's definitely a comment i would write

[@ivyj.9489]

@@rungler dhdhfhhf, we’re matching lol

[@ryanrenn4815]

😳👉👈

[@jargalo0098]

This song is about two dudes, change my mind

[@shineonsunfish]

I've ALWAYS thought this.

[@andrewcassidy4799]

ALL the Decemberists love songs are about two dudes (or two women) 🤔

[@rcr257]

i always found the idea of a female spy cooler

[@witnessme4352]

I kinda thought that was common knowledge.

[@witnessme4352]

@gbmpyzochwfdisurjklvanetxq Seriously?

[@agiles5196]

God! You guys were fucking great!

[@ingwarmagn3393]

What a wonderful group! What unconventional music! Is this a new version of R.A.M.?

[@fadeskywards1245]

EL AMIGO DEL CARTEL EL AMIGO DEL CARTEL NOOO

[@christopherloguelogue8885]

Reminds me of the americans

[@agiles5196]

I've always imagined it took pace during the Cold War. A bureaucrat seduced by a spy.

[@therealteal620]

They never caught her...

[@silasoconnell6413]

spy

[@loveljelacic]

The Americans...

[@iv5949]

I love my girlfriend.

[@blue20000]

fallout 3

[@Goodroosters]

+blue20000 yeah?

[@captainphasma9323]

really? never played that, only new vegas

[@hahafunnyhaha4216]

Because of the Washington mall reference? I thought of FO3 too, but only because the undergrounds layout is seared into my brain.

[@connor2658]

Nice way to rip off Elliott Smith's album cover

[@zolfjustice]

there isn't an elliott smith album cover that looks like the Picturesque one, as far as i know. this TV-against-a-wall frame is the signature of Kill Rock Stars, who has distributed music for both of them haha. the actual album cover is the image on the TV

[@duravis0065]

Anyone here from There and Gone? No? Okay...

[@rainbowatsummit]

HELLO

[@SuperMinecrafter200]

isn't that a book?

[@caralineg6568]

i wanna know what they were talking abt :(

[@patelbi]

Why is there no additional context about this comment? Lol give us more, what r u guys talking about

[@DoctorGarkle]

ChatGPT writes better music. By far.

[@furiousmagician5912]

ai more like poopy and gay

[@secretsfullofsaucers]

Here comes the edgelord

[@LumpyCrumpets]

me when I'm wrong