Wilco

Infinite Surprise

Staring
Eye to eye
Staring
Eye to eye

There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there to see
There’s nothing there

You’re worried
So am I
I’m sorry
I made you cry

You know that’s not like me
You know that isn’t me
No that’s not like me
To make you cry

Staring
Eye to eye
Mirror
Eye to eye
If you were only you
If I were only me
If you were only you
What would I be

Empty
Sky of mine
Any
Thing can shine

If you were only you
If I were only me
If you were only you
What would I be

Infinite surprise
Infinite surprise
Infinite surprisev Infin…

Staring
Eye to eye
Mirror
Eye to eye

It’s good to be alive
It’s good to be alive
It’s good to know we die
It’s good to know

Infinite surprise…

Ten Dead

I woke up this morning and
I went back to bed
Ten dead
Ten dead
Now there are ten dead

Turn on the radio
This is what they said
No more
No more
No more than ten dead

Stacking stones
And strands of light
I feel
A little bit home
Most of me is out of sight
Hollow honeycomb

I’m tired when the day breaks
I’m tired when the day ends
Righteous
Righteous
The way my life will bend
The way my attention bends
The way that my knee bends

A scratch on the cheek
A father to fight
I was too weak
Too cold
Mostly night I was
Mostly night
Not enough light to hold

Up over the mountains
Down beside
The sea
Ten more
Eleven more
What’s one more to me?

I woke up this morning and
I went back to bed
Ten dead
Ten dead
Now there are ten dead

Levee

I love the levee by the lake
But the levee is fake
Why worry about the rain and the wind
When I know it comes from within

Save me
Save me again
Make me
Make me
Lose you and then
Save me
Save me again
Make me
Make me
Use you again

I love to take my meds
Like my doctor said
But I worry
If I shouldn’t instead

Let you save me
Save me again
Make me
Make me
Use you and then
I’ll save you
I’ll save you again
You’ll make me
Make me
Useful and then
You can save me
Save me again
Make me
Make me
Lose you again
Save me
I’ll save you again
Make me
Make me
Use you and then

I can see you thinking
I hear your thoughts
And I love you without thinking
I…
I should not

Evicted

Oh I can take a joke but
My clothes are all soaked
It’s too late to be unclear
I’d laugh until I’d die
If it wasn’t my life
If it wasn’t me in the mirror

Am I ever going to see you again?

Maybe I’m a whistle on a lonely old train
I’m crying all the time
Listen to the sound getting further away
Fading deep
Into the night
Am I ever going to see you again?

I’m evicted
From your heart
I deserve it

Black against the shade
Shadow lovers embrace
I look away, I look away
They say heartache
Always fades
I look away I look away

I’m never gonna see you again

I’m evicted
From your heart
I deserve it

Oh I can take a joke but
My clothes are all smoke
It’s too cold to be unclear
I’d laugh until I’m old
If it wasn’t my life
If it wasn’t me in the mirror

I’m never gonna see you again

I’m evicted
From your heart
I deserve it
I’m evicted
From your heart
I deserve it
I deserve it
I deserve it

Sunlight Ends

You’re not the kind of city street
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of spinning star
That only gets you lost

You
Dance
Like the dust in the
Light
Where the sun comes in
And I’m
Following
‘Til the sunlight ends

You’re not the kind of mountain stream
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of flashing sign
That only gets you lost

You
Dance
Like the dust in the
Light
Where the sun comes in
And I’m
Following
‘Til the sunlight ends

You’re not the kind of desert sand
Anyone can cross
You’re the kind of missing page
That only gets you lost
And you’re lost
And I’m lost

A Bowl and A Pudding

Not saying anything
Says a lot
I still see your face
When you look away

I can tell
I can tell
I can tell

How long this night is going to be
And the one
You love
Is not me

Not saying anything
Says enough
I know what you’re thinking
When you walk away

I can tell
I can tell
I can tell

How long this night is going to be
And the one
You love
Is not me

Cousin

I cut in
On you
O’ what I want
I wouldn’t want
What I mean to say…
I…
I’m nothing
I’m cutting
On you

I’m cutting
On you
O’ what I want
I wouldn’t want
What I mean to say…
I…
I’m nothing
My cousin
I’m you

Led by light
You can’t divide
When your red lines
Get crossed with mine
I object to you
Our deal’s un-struck

Oh what a time to be brave
Walking ‘round an empty grave
Oh we’re the dirt you save
To fill an empty grave

What I want
I wouldn’t want
What I mean to say…
I…
You’re my cousin
My cousin
I’m you

Oh what I want
I wouldn’t want
Wouldn’t want
I mean to say…
I’m nothing
I’m loving
I’m true

Led by light
You can’t divide
When your red lines
Get crossed with mine
I object to you
Our deal’s un-struck

It never hurts to cry
The dead awake in waves

Pittsburgh

I love the rain
And how the rain can turn
Shit into a rose
I overheard the TSA
Going through my clothes
As I wait
For her

I've always been afraid to sing
That’s a little thing
Somehow that’s all I do
Strange as that seems
I’ve outlived my dreams

I empty my suitcase
In the street in the rain
Time slows like a new Van Gogh
Setting fire to the frame
I’m a flag where the wind won’t blow

I’m a kid that never grows
My body lays, never taken away
Is it too true for me to know
Oh no
Am I gone
Before I go?

Soldier Child

So good
To see you
To see you again
I’d almost forgotten
What it’s like
To be this tired

Hold my hand
Across the table
Act like
You’re invisible
And not just high
Unavailable

Now that I am
Over
Smiling at you
Wild like a tiger afraid
I fought like a child
Soldier
Fights to forget
What it’s like
To be
Home

So good
To see you
To see you again
I’d almost forgotten
What it’s like
To feel this pain

Hold my hand
Across the table
Act like
You’re invisible
Not just high
And
Unavailable

Now that I am
Over
Smiling at you
Wild like a tiger afraid
I fought like a child
Soldier
Fights to forget
What it’s like
To be
Home

Meant to Be

If my words say what you meant to say
Doesn’t that say we were meant to feel this way?

Holding our hearts closer together
Keeping to ourselves an empty sea
So we can believe
Our love is meant to be

A lonely man throws himself on an open flame
Doesn’t that say he should have found another way?

Hold my heart
Closer to yours
Vacation is starting
You’re not coming home
To me
Do you still believe?
Our love is meant to be

Each day is longer
Than the one before
Fewer left
Less and less
I need you more

Telling myself
I can wait forever
Holding my thoughts
Far away from never
Keeping to myself
Destiny
And I still believe you’re the only one
Our love is meant to be
It is to me

2023

Cousin

Credits + Notes

release date Sept 29, 2023
© 2023 dBpm Records Inc

Recorded by Wilco at The Loft in Chicago between January 2019 and May 2023.

Produced by Cate Le Bon

Additional production by Jeff Tweedy and Tom Schick

Engineered and mixed by Tom Schick

Engineering assistance by Mark Greenberg

Session assistance by Ashwin Deepankar and Jared Dottorelli

Mastered by Bob Ludwig

Wilco is Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgensen, Nels Cline and Patrick Sansone

Saxophone by Euan Hinshelwood

Additional bass, piano, synthesize and backing vocals by Cate Le Bon

Additional percussion and backing vocals by Spencer Tweedy

All songs written by Jeff Tweedy © 2023 Words Ampersand Music (BMI)

Administered worldwide by BMG Rights Management

Flower art by Azuma Makoto
Photography by Shiinoki Shunsuke
Packaging design by Jeff Tweedy and Alexa Viscius