Dawes - Surprise! (Official Lyric Video)

The 3rd single off our new album 'Oh Brother'.

"The things you hope for never arrive as anticipated, if at all. The things that scare you are not what you should have actually been worried about. The person you were wouldn’t recognize the person you are, but not in the ways you’d expect. It’s a song about getting older and taking stock in how elegantly (or not) we’ve all navigated the terrain." - Taylor Goldsmith

Thanks to all the fans who sang their hearts out for this one!

Editor: Robin Gonsalves

Follow Dawes:

Lyrics:
Once the gatekeepers decided
We would fade into the crowd
You took what makes you charming
And you turned it up too loud
Now how many songs does the band have to get through
Before you steal away the mic?
How many cakes do you have to jump out of
Before no one yells “surprise!”?

I remember us both learning
That no one’s dreams come true
They’re either not quite how you saw them
Or the goal post just gets moved
That’s when you changed your expectations
And started rolling your third eye
But you still don’t know the ending
You can’t spoil the surprise

Now the nature of your birthday party
Has changed a lot for me
What was once a celebration
Feels like a shameless victory
I guess we all confuse our happiness
With what it takes to just survive
But the moment that the switch gets flipped
Is always a surprise

There’s a little bit of poetry
In what you’re doing to your face
Removing all the evidence
Of our shared time and space
And your eyes close when you smile now
Because you’re squeezing it too tight
If this is how you double down
You’re in for a surprise

There’s a nightclub deep in Hollywood
For each night of the week
Watching all my fake friends congregate
Where no one wants to be
But you have to muddle through it
If you wanna make it out alive
And the ones that find the other side
Are in for a surprise

I’m not letting myself off easy here
I’ve been going through it too
I might have leaned into things more gracefully
But what good did that do?
You found your way to rage against the dying of the light
I thought I planned for all contingencies
I thought I knew who I was meant to be
All those roads laid out in front of me
But it’s still a big surprise

[lanceleslie]

I'm saddened that this place no longer exists, if only in the hearts. Peace

[AliothSenator]

That Gmin6 to E lydian to resolve the verses was a surprise for sure.

[Anative]

Counting the days till the album drops! Come see us in Florida. St Augustine is beautiful at night.

[ianbatchelor]

Sounding so familiar yet still so fresh. Exactly where I hoped your sound would go with only the two brothers remaining from the original lineup

[rockinrond]

Great sound, terrific lyrics; portends another great album from America's most inventive and masterful band.

[kieranleopold]

I cannot get enough of these changes. Loving the almost-middle-eastern sounding lick on the refrain. I just love this track!

[jackohara]

Saw the Dip and Black Pumas last night, oh sweet sweet Dawes imagine a little festival with them :'-] Make it happen.

[benjamingilmore]

Reminds me of Gaucho era Steely Dan, and that’s a compliment! Awesome track

[vancemartin]

Y'all still got it! You should come to Spokane, WA. We could use some good music on this side of the state too.

[caramoonlynn]

Pretty afghans in the video. Super awesome song.

[ms.saratonin]

Something’s going on here… but y’all didn’t ask for my opinion….surprise