Truce Lyrics

Performed by The Dresden Dolls

“Truce” by Dresden Dolls

You can have Washington, I’ll take New Jersey
You can have London but I want New York City

I should get Providence – I’ve got a job now
Los Angeles – obvious – that's where you belong now

You can have Africa, Asia, Australia,
As long as you keep your hands off Cafe Pamplona
We can split Germany right down the middle
You'd hate it there anyway
Take Berlin and we’ll call it even

You can take all of the carry-on baggage
I'll trade the saskia jokes for the alphabet language

And special occasions we'll split between parents
Who forced us to hate them on alternating weekends

You call it over and I call you psycho
Significant other?
Just say we were lovers and we'll call it even
We'll call it even

I am the ground zero ex-friend you ordered
Disguised as a hero to get past your borders
I know when I’m wanted, I’ll leave when you ask me to
Mind my own business and speak when I’m spoken to

I am the tower around which you orbited
I am not proud, I am just taking orders
I fall to the ground within hours of impact
I hit back when hit
And attack when attacked

You get Route 2 between Concord and Lexington
I want Mass Ave from the square to my apartment

And if we should meet through some misunderstanding
I’ll be very sweet, very patient, and forgiving
(Now get off my side of the state)

And if we should see one another in passing
Despite these techniques, there is sometimes no avoiding
(There must be some kind of mistake)

We'll raise high the white flags and bow heads and shake hands
Declaring the land we're on un-American
We'll call it even
We’ll call it even

I am the tower around which you orbited
I am not proud, I am just taking orders
I fall to the ground within hours of impact
I hit back when hit
And attack when attacked

And I am an accident waiting to happen
I'm laughing like mad while you strangle the captain
My place may be taken but make no mistake
From a little black box I can say without shame
That you've lost, that you’ve lost
Do you know what you've lost?

So take whatever you'd like
I'll strike like the States on fire
You won't sleep very tight
No hiding
No safe cover
Make your bed and now lie
Just like you always do
You can fake it for the papers but I’m on to you, I’m on to you

So take whatever you'd like
I'll strike like the States on fire
You won't sleep very tight
No hiding
No safe covers
Make your bed and now lie
Just like you always do
You can fake it for the papers but I’m on to you....
I’m on to you, I’M ON TO YOU, I’M ON TO YOU!

Amanda, You're telling me a fairy tale..

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Cold War? | Reviewer: Evelyna | 5/15/11

I don't know whether this is just me, but does anyone see a distinct connection between some of the lyrics in this song to the termoil, fear, suspicion and general strife of the Cold War? For example "We can split Germany right down the middle" directly references the devision of Germany after World War II. To me, the song could also be talking about the breakup between the U.S.S.R and the U.S.A. It was after WWII that the two nations came out as the dominant superpowers, and, for all intents and purposes, divided the majority of the world in their fear driven ideological conflict. The Warsaw Pact and NATO were born as other countries chose sides, and the entire situation spiralled out of control to the point where we were only a hair away from the destruction of the world. That said, I can definitely see the themes of both 9/11 and a bad breakup too. The lovely thing about the Dresden Dolls is that they never write a song with only one meaning.

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Thanks | Reviewer: Kay | 12/3/10

Death, your review totally helped me understand the song on a whole new level, thank you so much. I'm from New Zealand, where the 9/11 thing wasn't so heavily broadcast, you know nobody from my country was killed or anything, and also I was quite young when it happened, so I didn't immediatley realize this song was full of references to 9/11. So, thank you so much for pointing that out to me.

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9/11 | Reviewer: Death | 10/3/10

As liff said, reading this there are SO many references to 9/11 that none of yall have seen, but this song isn't just multi-layered, its multi-intentioned and filled with double entendres.

"You can take all of the carry-on baggage
I'll trade the saskia jokes for the alphabet language"

-Carry-on baggage. 9/11? Please, of course.
-Alphabet language? 9/11. Arabic, the language of most of the attackers, does not use an alphabet. It uses an abjad script.

"I am the ground zero ex-friend you ordered
Disguised as a hero to get past your borders
I know when I’m wanted, I’ll leave when you ask me to
Mind my own business and speak when I’m spoken to"

-Ground zero, ex-friend? 9/11, ex-friend refers to Saudi Arabia and Egypt/Jordan, the origin countries of the majority attackers.
-Know when I'm wanted, mind my own business, etc? Rules of the attackers in public, lay low and keep generally quiet.

"We'll raise high the white flags and bow heads and shake hands
Declaring the land we're on un-American"

-White flags, un-american? Referring to the war, the divisiveness and separation, and of course surrender of the Muslim population to the racism and hate they were subjected to. A lot of the locations here refer to that too, where there are large populations of Muslims.

"I am the tower around which you orbited
I am not proud, I am just taking orders
I fall to the ground within hours of impact
I hit back when hit
And attack when attacked"

-This whole thing is too obvious, I don't even need to explain that one.


And I am an accident waiting to happen
"I'm laughing like mad while you strangle the captain
My place may be taken but make no mistake
From a little black box I can say without shame
That you've lost, that you’ve lost
Do you know what you've lost?"

-Strangling captain? captains were subdued or killed during the attacks.
-Block box/losing? Referring to the planes and the attacks themselves.

"So take whatever you'd like
I'll strike like the States on fire
You won't sleep very tight
No hiding
No safe cover
Make your bed and now lie
Just like you always do
You can fake it for the papers but I’m on to you, I’m on to you"

-This one refers to the whole national protectionism of Al Qaeda, and the hate and attacks and blah blah blah.

This song doesn't just talk about the attacks, as all of the lyrics can be taken a thousand ways. The idea is just that, guided interpretation. She's not giving extremely vague or specific lyrics, but taking into account the whole song, it refers to events in her life, emotions, the war, the attacks, the hate from the perspective of Middle-Eastern peoples and Muslims alike, as well as Americans. There are so many sides and depths to this song....

It's remarkable; just the lyrics by themselves.

But when she sings it, it's awe-inducing...

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How odd | Reviewer: Liff | 8/29/10

I'm really surprised none of the reviewers mentioned all the 9/11 references in this song. The song is complicated and layered. I'm still trying to figure it out.

also, to the person who said Amanda is a hermaphrodite -- You're a fucking idiot.

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Bleh | Reviewer: Flatteblack | 1/24/10

Im thinking I should just make this a mass post to all of The Dresden Doll's songs, but seriously, her lyrics are supposed to be open to be interpreted so why bother arguing? It's about the journey it takes YOU on.

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renae | Reviewer: renae | 12/15/09

in response to 'amanda' half jack was written about her being a hemaphrodite (sp?)
it wasnt about her father

and i actually thought this was a break up song,
its told through her perspective not her mums.
i know when i recently broke up with my boyfriend it was like, ok you take this side of town and i'll take the other just please leave me alone
if i see you around i will, as amanda says 'strike like the states on fire'

im a divorce kid as well, but i see this more as a break up song, to be honest.

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Never thought of it as a divorce song | Reviewer: Grachel | 4/2/09

I always saw it as a break up song between friends. How some people return things they gave to each other after an ending relationship the parts of the world could symbolize CDs or dining plates.
To the part of "split between parents" at a certain time in most relationships when they get serious the parents are met and not all women hate their step mother's. Like everyone else I was a divorce kid but I didn't immediately see that in this song.

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I think too much-scratch that, not enough | Reviewer: Anonymous | 2/2/09

Doesn't it sound like the "Amanda, You're telling me a fairy tale" bit at the end is from an old video or something? Like of someone saying that to her when she was young. That's what I always thought.

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Hmm... | Reviewer: Blah | 12/31/08

Interesting song. Although, speaking as a divorce kid (I smell a new phrase in the mix!), I didn't really feel like it was emotional in the "parents splitting up" sort of sense...in fact, I would have never guessed that her parents had been divorced if I didn't already know it. Then again, I've always looked at my parents divorce as a positive thing...sure, at the time, it was devastating, but seeing all the destruction they had caused to me, my brother, and their selves while they were together makes me rather happy that they split.

I love the Dresden Dolls. I love how each song has a mix of both innocence and chaos, and this song is a perfect example of that.

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I relate more that I'd like to | Reviewer: Anonymous | 11/30/08

That's why I love this song and half jack. My parents divorced when I was five... and lately my father has become quite cruel. I want to tear the Je- Jack part out of me...

But yeah... amazing song. Astonishing...

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