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Number Three Lyrics

Artist: They Might Be Giants
Album: Then-The Earlier Years

There's only two songs in me and I just wrote the third
Don't know where I got the inspiration or how I wrote the words
Spent my whole life just digging up my music's shallow grave
For the two songs in me and the third one I just made

A rich man once told me
"Hey life's a funny thing"
A poor man once told me
That he can't afford to speak
Now I'm in the middle like a bird without a beak 'cause

There's just two songs in me and I just wrote the third
Don't know where I got the inspiration or how I wrote the words
Spent my whole life just digging up my music's shallow grave
For the two songs in me and the third one I just made

So I went to the President
And I asked old what's-his-name
Has he ever gotten writer's block
Or something like the same
He just started talking
Like he was on TV
"If there's just two songs in ya, boy
Whaddaya want from me?"

So I bought myself some denim pants
And a silver guitar
But I politely told the ladies
"You'll still have to call me Sir
Because I have to keep my self-respect
I'll never be a star
Since there's just two songs in me
And this is Number Three"

Comments/Interpretations

by I wonder... on 12/10/2011 4:58am
which of them wrote this song

by Kammerjunk on 4/25/2012 3:28pm
I wonder:
Linnell most likely got the idea for it as the baritone saxophone was sampled from "Skinny Lena", which is a record he found while helping a friend.
However, the final version is "Flansburgh's 'Number Three.'"

by Decius on 5/30/2013 5:33pm
Fun trivia: this was the third song on their first album.