Upon observing the lyrics in isolation, the song appears plainly sardonic - and quite typical of the formidably brilliant riddle that is Father John Misty. "How many people rise and say 'my brain’s so awfully glad to be here for yet another mindless day'", he asks, sadly mocking those who still cling to the long-running joke that is 'the American Dream'.
It isn't until actually hearing the song, of course, that its overwhelming poignancy is revealed to the listener. Accompanied by gentle, sympathetic piano, Tillman croons: "Now I've got a lifetime to consider all the ways I grow more disappointing to you, as my beauty warps and fades." Father John Misty transforms boredom, regret, and leftover shards of broken dreams into something both heartbreaking and strangely uplifting; there's comfort in the knowledge that there's someone out there that's just as disappointed in life as you are.
As the end of the track draws near, harsh canned laughter taunts a wistful Tillman as he pines for days long gone. He pleads for a 'President Jesus' to save him from life among a breed of modern Americans, and we listeners are left silenced by a song that's as tragically beautiful as it is painfully frank.
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