Life During Wartime by Talking Heads

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons packed up and ready to go.
Heard of some grave sites out by the highway, a place where nobody knows.
The sound of gunfire off in the distance, I’m getting used to it now.
I lived in a brownstone.  I lived in a ghetto.  I’ve lived all over this town.

This ain’t no party.
This ain’t no disco.
This ain’t no fooling around.
No time for dancing or lovey-dovey.
I ain’t got time for that now.

Transmit the message to the receiver.  Hope for an answer someday.
I got three passports, a couple of visas.  Don’t even know my real name.
High on a hillside the trucks are loading.  Everything’s ready to roll.
I sleep in the daytime.  I work in the nighttime.  I might not ever get home.

This ain’t no party.
This ain’t no disco.
This ain’t no fooling around.
No, it ain’t no Mud Club or C.B.G.B..
I ain’t got time for that now.

This ain’t no party.
This ain’t no disco.
This ain’t no fooling around.
No time for dancing or lovey-dovey.
I ain’t got time for that now.

Heard about Houston?  Heard about Detroit?  Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?
You oughta know not to stand by the window.  Somebody’ll see you up there.
I got some groceries,  some peanut butter, to last a couple of days.
But I ain’t got no speakers, ain’t got no headphones, ain’t got no records to play.

Why stay in college?  Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time.
Can’t write a letter.  Can’t send a postcard.
I can’t write nothing at all.

This ain’t no party.
This ain’t no disco.
This ain’t no fooling around.
I wanna hold you.  I wanna kiss you, but
I ain’t got time for that now.

Trouble in transit.  Got through the road block.  We blend in with the crowd.
We got computers.  We’re tapping phone lines, knowing that that ain’t allowed.
We dress like students.  We dress like housewives.  Or in a suit and a tie.
Changed my hairstyle so many times now, don’t know what I look like.

You make me shiver.  I feel so tender.  We a make a pretty good team.
Don’t get exhausted.  I’ll do some driving.  You oughta get you some sleep.
Burned all my notebooks.  What good are notebooks?  They won’t help me survive.
My chest is aching and it burns like a furnace.  The burning keeps me alive.