Three Sheets to Kishkiyya · Track 39 · middle
Caught Short
VOLUME II — the sudden, urgent pilgrimage to the BATHROOM. The idiom and the song's title hook: "Caught Short". Its true history: 20th c. — suddenly and urgently needing to go with no toilet anywhere near; pure panic. Render this beat of the night as the band's affectionate, funny, celebratory tribute — the idiom itself is the chorus hook.
Lyrics
[Intro] [Verse 1] The neon signs are spinning by, a lovely modern blur But somewhere down inside the hull, the warning engines turn A minute ago I was king of the block Now I am racing an invisible clock It hits like a hammer, it drops like a stone And suddenly I am so wildly alone [Pre-Chorus] The 20th century paved the whole town There’s nowhere to duck when the pressure bears down No bushes or trees in this fabulous age Just an animal trapped in a civilized cage! [Chorus] Caught short! The building is burning, the siren is loud! Caught short! A desperate man in a terrible crowd! Where is the painted door, where is the sign? I'm running on fumes and I'm out of my mind Caught short! [Verse 2] Every step is a calculus, a rigid little stride I'm trying to keep the emergency hid "For Customers Only" is written in chalk I'm doing the infamous fast-waddle walk I smile at the bouncer, I nod at the host But inside my spirit is giving up the ghost [Pre-Chorus] The 20th century paved the whole town There’s nowhere to duck when the pressure bears down No bushes or trees in this fabulous age Just an animal trapped in a civilized cage! [Chorus] Caught short! The building is burning, the siren is loud! Caught short! A desperate man in a terrible crowd! Where is the painted door, where is the sign? I'm running on fumes and I'm out of my mind Caught short! [Bridge] Oh, the frail human vessel, the glorious frame Reduced to a shivering puddle of shame Just give me a washroom, a closet, a stall Before the magnificent empire falls! [Chorus] Caught short! The building is burning, the siren is loud! Caught short! A desperate man in a terrible crowd! Where is the painted door, where is the sign? I'm running on fumes and I'm out of my mind Caught short! [Outro] I see a green door at the end of the hall I'm making a run for it Hold my coat Keep my drink warm I am crossing the—