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16 Military Wives Lyrics by The Decemberists

Picaresque

2005

Sixteen military wives
Thirty-two softly focused brightly colored eyes
Staring at the natural tan
Of thirty-two gently clenching wrinkled little hands
Seventeen company men
Out of which only twelve will make it back again
Sergeant sent a letter to five
Military wives whose tears drip down from ten little eyes
Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can't say no
And America does, if America says it's so
It's so
And the anchorperson on TV goes...
La de da de da
Fifteen celebrity minds
Living their fifteen sordid wretched checkered lives
Will they find the solution in time
Using their fifteen pristine moderate liberal minds?
Eighteen academy chairs
Out of which only seven really even care
Doling out a garland to five
Celebrity minds, they're humbly taken by surprise
Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can't say no
And America does, if America says it's so
It's so
And the anchorperson on TV goes...
La de da de da de-dadedade-da
La de da de da de-dadedade-da
Fourteen cannibal kings
Wondering blithely what the dinner bell will bring
Fifteen celebrity minds
Served on a leafy bed of sixteen military wives
Cheer them on to their rivals
Cause America can, and America can't say no
And America does, if America says it's so
It's so
And the anchorperson on TV goes...
La de da de da de-dadedade-da
La de da de da de-dadedade-da
Credits
The Decemberists

The Decemberists

About “16 Military Wives” by The Decemberists

Read the complete lyrics to "16 Military Wives" by The Decemberists from the album "Picaresque" in 2005. 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 Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Rock.

"16 Military Wives" is performed by The Decemberists. from the album "Picaresque" in 2005 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 "16 Military Wives", explore more songs by The Decemberists 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.

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Frequently asked questions

"16 Military Wives" is credited to The Decemberists. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"16 Military Wives" appears on "Picaresque" in 2005.

Visit the The Decemberists artist page at /artist/the-decemberists for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.