Oberst, Conor - Artifact #1 Lyrics

One of the best songwriters of our time, undeniably.

What would it take to gain acceptance
To the grounds behind your eyes
You know I'm open to suggestion
The one you made we never tried

Let it slip right out from under
Your breath and it rolled around my head
It was nothing I'd consider
I knew it had to happen then

Stood on the banks of the Potomac
We watched the water rushing by
You said we should live in the moment
Then I'd miss you all the time

And I know no one will believe me
But I don't want a second chance
To be an object of desire
If that means slipping through your hands
If I had tried to make you mine

You would have walked away
I can't compete with memories
They never have to change
This world is full of missing persons
All of these unsolved mysteries

If someone says they know for certain
They're selling something certainly
So when I set myself to wonder
All the questions that remain

The only one that even matters
Is when I'll see you're face again
I keep looking back for artifacts
To prove that you were here

The sound that's been keeps echoing
It never disappears

"You're a sound that's been, you keep echoing" - The way he sang it at the NPR Tiny Desk show.. made it that much better

No one writes better lyrics than this.

Bob Dylan: *exists*


All jokes aside, Conor is one of the best songwriters ever, and he's probably my favorite, but Dylan is unmatched, and there are a few others a bit better than Conor in terms of just sheer lyricism.

Josiah Jones who are the ones better than Conor? i’m genuinely curious

@A Garbage Bag Bob Dylan, possibly Elliott Smith, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon

"Bible cleanliness is mental and emotional cleanliness. Not quarantined filth.",dan'

"Repeat means to parrot.",dan'

"Joicing",dan'

"if someone says they know for certain, they're selling something certainly" AH A PARADOX

Life is full of things you can't understand, friend

My heart melts when I hear this song . Then again, it's been melting for years, going back to 99.

Let's cry, over and over again. 

sounds like a plan

Heard this on The Current yesterday and have played and re-played - can't seem to hear it enough. I'm slowly checking out his other work. What a beautiful piece of music and inspiring artist!

+Cheryl Evans Westman Rolling Stone called him The Boy Genius of rock n roll ten years ago, he's older now but his music is just as good. I agree with unveiled Mystery

Yea his solo music is great, his new album, the album this song is on is a pure classic, I loveit.

+Cheryl Evans Westman You'll be checking out his work for a while...

@Isaiah Israel 95%

@William Carroll his firs album water is good once you like all his stuff just to hear him sing at 13 what a talent

Best song on the album.

It is great... but so are Common Knowledge and Night at Lake Unknown.  Don't ya think? I saw him last month... it was amazing, as usual! :)