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External Actor Lyrics by Okkervil River

In the Rainbow Rain

2018

[Verse 1]
It's all I'm looking for
These moments of opaque-eyed knocked-out rapture
Helpless as a calf at the capture
Chosen in a frozen instant

[Verse 2]
Far away from the scabbed-out moment
Far from the flick-flick-flick of the flatscreen
Far from the poison power of cash
Green cash reeking and heating the jetstream

[Verse 3]
Oh, the sharp sweet breath, she is my daughter
Daughter of the flashing instant
Daughter of watching "Daughters of Darkness"
On your parents' couch with your high-school boyfriend

[Verse 4]
Spinning fevered in a haze of ditchweed
Daughters of long hard skids on the 10-speed
Daughters of July rips at the land speed
Semi-freckled eternal thrasher

[Verse 5]
Feather-haloed floating hair eye-flasher
Floating like a fire in the distance
Flashing like a flush to the skin
And whispering like the wind through the rushes

[Chorus]
Oh no, external actor
External actor

[Verse 6]
You gotta hoist a high flag
You gotta learn how to hang with the freaks and the hicks
In the heat of the lot
You gotta learn what is and what is not
And you learn what isn't is not a lot

[Verse 7]
To drain a tin beer
Streaming cold in the fields
Summer's up and the heat is relentless
A drop in the rainbow rain on the canvas
Calls of friends in the capital of cannabis

[Verse 8]
Where the cops down the block
And they circle and they stop
And they circle and they stop
And they stop and they circle
And they stop, God help cause it's a lot
And may God have mercy on the polyglot

[Chorus]
Oh no, external actor
External actor

[Verse 9]
A million miles across the starlight
A skip skip skip
A wide long curve
A space dust melt around a star
Keep shining in the cold
Keep shining in the dark

[Chorus]
External actor

[Outro]
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Neighbor-love and brother-love
And blanketing love of God above
Sigh of the river far from shore
Silence and the voice don't speak any more
Credits
Okkervil River

Okkervil River

About “External Actor” by Okkervil River

Read the complete lyrics to "External Actor" by Okkervil River from the album "In the Rainbow Rain" in 2018. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock.

"External Actor" is performed by Okkervil River. from the album "In the Rainbow Rain" in 2018 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "External Actor", explore more songs by Okkervil River using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Okkervil River · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"External Actor" is credited to Okkervil River. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"External Actor" appears on "In the Rainbow Rain" in 2018.

Visit the Okkervil River artist page at /artist/okkervil-river for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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