When they dressed me and they put me on a plane to Memphis, well
I never got to see Elvis
I just sweated it out in a hotel room
But I think the king woulda understood
Why I never made it to Graceland
The bathroom tiles were cool against my hand
I pressed my forehead to the floor and prayed for a trapdoor
I've been here many times before
But I've never made it to Graceland
[Chorus]
And if I make it to the mornin'
I shoulda come with a warnin'
And if I make it to the stage
I'll show you what it means
To be saved
[Verse 2]
Well, pick me up in New Orleans
Pinned in a bathroom stall
Pick me up above my body
Press my corpse against the wall
I told the band to leave without me
I'll get the next flight
And I'll see you all with Elvis
If I don't survive the night
If I make it to the mornin'
I shoulda come with a warnin'
And if I make it to the stage
I'll show you what it means
To be saved
[Bridge]
And after every tour, I swear I'll quit
It's over, boys, now this is it
But the call, it always comes
And the songs like children beggin' to be born
But, oh, I guess I got my wish
But anything, anything, anything but this
[Chorus]
If I make it to the mornin'
I shoulda come with a warnin'
But if I make it to the stage
I'll show you what it means
To be saved
Oh, you know I'm still afraid
I'm still crazy and I'm still scared
But if I make it to the stage
I'll show you what it means
To be spared
To be spared
To be spared
To be spared
To be spared
About
“Morning Elvis” is Dance Fever’s closing track. It was written by Florence Welch as a swelling confessional about a time of being so hungover to the point of missing a planned visit to Graceland, the “home” of singer Elvis Presley in Memphis, TN.
The song meditates around the topic of sobriety and the challenges it presents. In an interview with The New York Times, Florence mentioned:
I thought the way to hang onto your rock ’n’ roll roots was to be the drunkest person in the room.
The track ends with the sounds of a cheering crowd, which implies that Florence did make it to the stage, as she sings throughout the song.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Florence Welch:
I’m obsessed with Nick Cave as a performer, but the performer he’s obsessed with is Elvis. So that’s how it feeds back to me. I was at home and stuck and there was an Elvis documentary. It made me remember us, when we were on tour in New Orleans, it would have maybe been on the second record. The wheels were really coming off for me, in terms of drinking and partying. I just got very in the spirit of New Orleans and was at a party and just went, ‘You all leave without me, I’m staying at this party.’ I ended up with my dress completely shredded, because I’m always wearing these vintage things that basically just disintegrate: If you’re on a rager, you will come back with nothing. You would’ve thought things were going so well for me. What was it about me that had such a death wish? I had such little care for myself. It didn’t matter what I had done the night before, or the week before, or what chaos I had created, I knew if I got to the stage, something there would save me and that I would be absolved. And that song is about that feeling, but also a testament to all the performers I’ve seen turn pain into something so beautiful.
—via Apple Music
- 1.King
- 2.Free
- 3.Choreomania
- 4.Back in Town
- 8.Cassandra
- 10.Daffodil
- 11.My Love
- 12.Restraint
- 13.The Bomb
- 14.Morning Elvis
- 16.Free (Acoustic)
