The Mountain Goats — Hopeful Assassins of Zeno

[Verse 1] Get tired of coming in from the mountains every year Find some place to set up shop around here Spread out a little, circulate A log that floats down river Will surely take on weight [Pre-refrain] Meet some people, make some friends How long till we get sent back to the mountains? It all depends [Refrain] On the hopeful And the cunning And the faithful The well-positioned Filthy but graceful [Verse 2] Get familiar with affairs of state Foretell the future Get a pretty good success rate Notch some wins, take some losses Be nice to the guys who wear necklaces with crosses They will stab you in the back [Pre-refrain] You gotta turn the other cheek You gotta learn to love Jesus, so to speak [Refrain] Like the hopeful And the cunning And the faithful The well-positioned Filthy but graceful [Verse 3] Real filthy, think about getting clean Even hear the soldiers talk about it, down at the canteen Little kings keep coming, one another's head Which is exactly how the portents read Watch with wonder Fail to discern These people never learn How long till the snake devours its tail? Longer than we think [Pre-refrain] Still it's gotta happen sometime Until then, raise a drink [Refrain] To the hopeful And the cunning And the faithful The well-positioned Filthy but graceful