Three Sheets to Kishkiyya · Track 22 · middle

In One's Cups

VOLUME I — being gloriously, world-tilting DRUNK (the night at full tilt). The idiom and the song's title hook: "In One's Cups". Its true history: UK, 16th c. (roots in cup-shotten) — overcome by what is in the cups; a genteel, old-fashioned way to say drunk. Render this beat of the night as the band's affectionate, funny, celebratory tribute — the idiom itself is the chorus hook.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
They used to say a man was cup-shotten
Back in the 16th century mud
Like an arrow loosed from a tavern mug
Warming up the English blood.

But that sounds a little too heavy
For the way she's smiling at the wall
She ain't shot down by the liquor tonight
She's just answering a familiar call.

[Chorus]
She's in her cups, boys, she's in her cups
Floating on the gentle tide of the ale
It’s a polite old way to say the room is spinning
And the ship has finally lost its sail.
Yeah, she's deep in her cups this evening
And the water's warm and wide.

[Verse 2]
It’s a genteel phrase for a wild old beast
A ribbon tied around a staggering bear
She’s telling a secret to the overcoats
With a heavy and a regal air.
You don't say ruined when she wears it like a crown
You just let the evening slowly sink down.

[Chorus]
She's in her cups, boys, she's in her cups
Floating on the gentle tide of the ale
It’s a polite old way to say the room is spinning
And the ship has finally lost its sail.
Yeah, she's deep in her cups this evening
And the water's warm and wide.

[Bridge]
Overcome by the vessel, surrounded by the glass
Every king and queen has laid right down in the ash
Let her sway, let her lean on the heavy oak frame
She ain't the first to forget her own name.

[Outro]
Cup-shotten and crowned.
Gather round, let her speak.
She's in her cups now
The strong getting weak.
Let the shadows stretch out long
End of the song.