"The Alcott" feat. Taylor Swift is the seventh track from The National's ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, released on April 28, 2023, through 4AD[1].
Background[]
According to an interview in Vulture magazine:
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āThe Alcottā began as a sparse piano track that Aaron Dessner gave to front man Matt Berninger. After Berninger wrote a vocal, Dessner thought about sending it to his friend and folklore collaborator. He anxiously waited 20 minutes for her to reply, thinking he might have put her in a position where she would have to turn him down. Instead, she sent him a voice note with a fully formed contribution ā her vocals wrapped around Berningerās and new lyrics changing the angle of the song. The band built up an arrangement and finished it from there. |
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Lyrics[]
[Verse 1: Matt Berninger]
I get myself twisted in threads
To meet you at The Alcott
I'd go to the corner in the back
Where you'd always be
And there you are, sitting as usual
With your golden notebook
Writing something about someone
Who used to be me
[Chorus: Matt Berninger & Taylor Swift]
And the last thing you wanted
Is the first thing I do
I tell you my problems
You tell me the truth
It's the last thing you wanted
It's the first thing I do
I tell you that I think I'm falling
Back in love with you
[Verse 2: Matt Berninger & Taylor Swift]
I sit there silently
Waiting for you to look up (Ah)
I see you smile
When you see it's me
I had to do something
To break into your golden thinking (Ah)
How many times will I do this
And you'll still believe? (Ah)
[Chorus: Matt Berninger & Taylor Swift]
It's the last thing you wanted
(Tell me, which side are you on, dear?)
It's the first thing you do
(Give me some tips to forget you)
You tell me your problems
(Have I become one of your problems?)
And I tell you the truth
(Could it be easy this once?)
It's the last thing you wanted
(Everything that's mine is a landmine)
It's the first thing I do
(Did my love aid and abet you?)
I tell you that I think I'm falling
Back in love with you
[Bridge: Matt Berninger & Taylor Swift]
And I'll ruin it all over
I'll ruin it for you
I'll ruin it all over
And over like I always do
I'll ruin it all over
(Why don't you rain on my parade?)
I'll ruin it for you
(Shred my evening gown)
I'll ruin it all over
(Read my sentence out loud)
And over like I always do
('Cause I love this curse on our house)
[Chorus: Matt Berninger & Taylor Swift]
It's the last thing I wanted
(Tell me, which side are you on, dear?)
It's the first thing I do
(Give me some tips to forget you)
I tell you my problems
(Have I become one of your problems?)
And you tell me the truth
(Could it be easy this once?)
It's the last thing I wanted
(Everything that's mine is a landmine)
It's the first thing I do
(Did my love aid and abet you?)
I tell you that I think I'm falling
Back in love (Back in love)
Back in love with you
[Outro: Taylor Swift]
Back in love with you