Pedestrian At Best - Courtney Barnett

Pedestrian At Best - Courtney Barnett

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PEDESTRIAN AT BEST was written by Courtney Barnett

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Lyrics

I love you I hate you
I’m on the fence it all depends
whether I’m up I’m down
I’m on the mend
transcending all reality.
I like you despise you admire you
what are we gonna do
when everything all falls through?
I must confess I’ve made a mess
of what should be a small success
but I digress
at least I’ve tried my very best I guess.
This that the other
why even bother,
it won’t be with me on my death bed,
but I’ll still be in your head.

Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you.
Tell me I’m exceptional I promise to exploit you.
Give me all your money and I’ll make some origami, honey.
I think you’re a joke but I don’t find you very funny.

My internal monologue
is saturated analogue,
It’s scratched and drifting,
I’ve become attached to the idea
it’s all a shifting dream bitter sweet philosophy,
I’ve got no idea how I even got here.
I’m resentful
I’m having an existential time crisis,
what bliss, daylight savings won’t fix this mess.
Underworked and oversexed
I must express my disinterest,
the rats are back inside my head
what would Freud have said?

Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you.
Tell me I’m exceptional I promise to exploit you.
Give me all your money and I’ll make some origami, honey.
I think you’re a joke but I don’t find you very funny.

I wanna wash out my head with turpentine and cyanide,
I dislike this internal diatribe
when I try to catch your eye
I hate seeing you crying in the kitchen
I don’t know why it affects me like this when you’re not even mine to consider.
Erroneous.
Harmonious.
I’m hardly sanctimonious.
Dirty clothes, I suppose,
we all outgrow ourselves.
I’m a fake,
I’m a phoney,
I’m awake,
I’m alone,
I’m homely,
I’m a Scorpio.

Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you.
Tell me I’m exceptional I promise to exploit you.
Give me all your money and I’ll make some origami, honey.
I think you’re a joke but I don’t find you very funny.

[PaulZeeX]

My eternal respect for working Origami into a chorus so memorably.

[Bunniiiie]

It’s 2025 and this song is still timeless to me

[joseortega]

"Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you." My favorite line by far.

[iriegal]

WHY DID IT TAKE ME 5 YEARS TO FIND THIS MASTER PIECE

[juqual]

The song just freaking rocks. I'm twelve years too late but I can't get enough of it

[samuelrowark]

"Underworked and oversexed I must express my disinterest...the rats are back inside my head what would Freud have said?" has got to be one of the best lyrics ever

[mustafakuloglu]

"I think you are a joke but i don't find you very funny" -> I love this line.

[soyelmilnombres]

Oh man, she is so good. I want to put her on a pedestal, tell her she's exceptional and give her all my money.

[annakabradley]

Me and my dad heard this on the radio and he turned this up and said wait a minute this is good. We started rocking out to this song immediately. He died and I just found this song for the first time since then three years later.

[xxxxxx-xvpn]

After 40 years of listening to pop music this just bulls its way into the top 10 songs... lyrics and power, bring it.

[eclectica]

Her lyricism is fantastic. And I love listening to anyone who can tell a proper story with their songs.

[merlinjames]

This is lyrically my favourite song ever

[darrenmeikle]

I heard this on Gran Turismo and I couldn’t stop singing it. Great tune !!! I’ve just listened to a few others of Courtney’s and I like her style and tone and the band can play !

[haoranwang]

My favorite line is when she yells at the end IM A SCORPIOOO

[HazeKasaki]

Her monotone delivery with that accent and the way she pronounces certain words is f'ing brilliant.

[freaktab]

It just doesn't get much better than Courtney Barnett singing "put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you"
God, I love this woman. So talented and amazing.

[itworks]

The first time I heard Avant Gardener it blew my mind which hadn't happened for ages. This one blew my fucking head off. 

[MrUrbanpoizon]

Gotta give props to Gran Tourismo for putting this on their soundtrack and leading me here

[grandmasterhashmixtapemast]

"I'm having an existencial Time Crisis". Truly the voice of a generation! Great arcade game, also.

[davidmikolaitis]

I have been telling everyone I know for well over a year to give this talented person a listen. She is like Elvis Costello and Crissy Hynde had a love child.