Bank Job

Been listening to the new Barenaked Ladies album (are they still called albums?) Barenaked Ladies Are Me.

So far I think I’ve picked out at least three songs that I like a lot and that probably have commercial potential.

However, my favorite song so far is a cute one called “Bank Job” that tells the story of a failed bank robbery attempt. I’m not sure how much commercial success it will enjoy, but I’m sure it’s destined to be one of those cult hits that BNL fans love so much.

So, with very little further ado…

Bank Job
Barenaked Ladies
(Page, Robertson) – 4:27

It was an upset in two minutes flat
We were back on the freeway, foot to the mat
I can’t understand it; we had it down pat
It’s very upsetting, could we leave it at that?

We all had positions; we each had a role
We’d over-rehearsed it; we had full control
They can’t teach you acting, it’s there in your soul
It’s the same with a bank job, and each thing we stole

So I don’t need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
Wait by the phone

I was the driver; you ran the show
You had the last word, the go or no go
I knew every laneway in Ontario
But it’s not what you’re sure of, it’s what you don’t know

It should have been filled with the usual ones
Throwing their cash into mutual funds
We all had our ski masks and sawed-off shotguns
But how do you plan for a bank full of nuns?

Well, I guess we panicked – we all have taboos
And they were like zebras; they had us confused
We should be in condos with oceanfront views
Instead we’re most-wanted on the six o’clock news

So I don’t need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

Inside the police car you tried to explain
your crisis of conscience; the voice in your brain
And now that the whole thing has gone down the drain
I think we all know who should shoulder the blame

Cause you made a choice there, almost sublime
I’m all for compassion, just not on my dime
You looked like an amateur, and that’s the real crime
So I’ll take a walk now, and you do the time

And I don’t need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
There’s no need to phone

We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
Leave me alone