"No Vacancies" lyrics (1993)

I know you're looking for a place to call home
And god knows I've got space to rent
But this place had been dissheveled therefore
I suggest you look elsewhere to pitch tent

So many people have entered these halls
Just as many people vacated these walls
In between visitors the wallpaper peels
And dust collects as the rooms rest
The bed's neatly made, yet it always feels
Eager to accomodate another guest

[Chorus:]
Now you look like you're a reasonable young man
So I hope you can find it in yourself to understand
That the last tenant too, looked so civilized
But that last tenant was cleverly disguised
When he left, he left the room vandalized
So as much as I wish I could open my door
This hotel has no vacancies anymore

We terribly regret any inconvenience
Resulting from the closure of this estate
But between the germs, mildew, stains, and the ghosts
It'll probably take ages to exterminate

It matters not how trusting you look
Or how much money you've got in that pocketbook
My rooms are closed to everyone
So please don't take it personally
But look elsewhere to make yourself at home
As these doors are locked indefinately

[Chorus repeats]

Don't give me that pout, trust me it's not pleasant
To feel such disgust for every potential resident
Don't look back as you search somewhere else to stay
Keep walking and leave this construction to rot away
Just keep walking those feet away from this floor
For the last time, I have no vacancies anymore

Commentary

This would be another one of my favorite things i've written. The whole subject matter is one that remains a very strong part part of who i am today and "defines me" in a sense. It summed up so much of what i was feeling at the time i wrote it and still does that 10 years later.

One of my favorite songs at the time (and still is today) was Chris Isaak's "Blue Hotel". In addition, one of my fave television shows at the time was Twin Peaks where one of the main settings was the Great Northern Hotel so i wanted to write something with a hotel theme or metaphor.

I think most people when they write something always feels like it could be better or that it's "still not quite finished", but i don't have that kind of dissatisfaction with this piece since it came out much better than i thought it ever would when it was done and i'm very happy with the end result.


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