Spirit Of The Stairs
Neil Finn
You see the truth
And he cannot hide
You’re so in tune
You feel it inside
Justice revenge
Tickle all over
Lily and sword
Damnation reward
The spirit of the stairs
Everyone thinks but no one dares
Wishes make a sad lament
After he’s gone
Ridicule or envy
Now you can’t forget me
I’m fixed in your mind
Like a knot in the twine
The spirit of the stairs
Everyone thinks but no one dares
And wishes make a sad lament
After he’s gone
After he’s gone
To the dogs of pouring rain
Into the trap she sets again
Hear my wooden footsteps on her train
Hear my wooden footsteps again
Tough outer shell
Not so you can tell
She’s soft underneath
Where you sink your teeth
The spirit of the stairs
Everyone thinks but no one dares
And wishes make a sad lament
After he’s gone
Look sad, too bad
You’re tongue-tied
How many times a day
I’m too dumb or too shy
Two-three-four-five
Count the stairs
The spirit hears what I should’ve said
And she knows why
After she’s gone
Song appears on:
Demos: Crowded House - Afterglow Deluxe Edition (2016)
Live on Fangradio, 5 April 2020
“We got told about this expression in French (actually, having been told it, I assumed it was an expression that every French person would know but apparently not) but it’s a really beautiful expression: l’esprit d’escalier, spirit of the stairs. It’s the thoughts you have as you leave a difficult situation and think of all the things that you should have said and it’s a very nice idea for a song”