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Back and Forth Lyrics by The Dismemberment Plan

Emergency & I

1999

[Verse 1]
There’s a kind of music that reminds me of you
It’s all clear expensive drinks and shiny shirts
And the click of heels as they descend from the taxi
Like the first foot on the moon, oh, and it glows with ache
And if it hits me right, oh, it’s almost too much to take

And it’s got right angle laser razor thin lines
That curve and swerve like perfect sines
As we dress to the nines in an attempt to leave it all behind
In a search of the moment between the seconds where
Everything is just fine
That silver thread embedded deep within our spines

And I used to be kind of weird about this
A fear of dependence on a guilty gilt-edged
Hedged transcendence that makes us liars
And tense the fear of looking down and seeing
That nothing really suspends us
But it was never just another Saturday night
Not with you in attendance

[Chorus]
So put your hands in the air
And wave them like you just don’t care
It’s on a whim; it’s on a dare
To shrug away what we can’t bear
And we’re going back and forth and back and forth
And back and forth and back
We’re going back and forth and back and forth
And back and forth and back

[Verse 2]
So it’s a deep blue see-through membrane that protects us
It connects us, a pulsing cellophane
Party-train skein that helps us and
Envelopes and keeps us locked inside
Forever and ever along for the ride

And we’re moving through a phosphorescent gel
A semi-solid self-lit ocean and it’s a funny notion, isn’t it?
Yeah, but I’m kinda digging it
And it’s rigged and isn’t nearly so big
And it speaks only of its own perpetual near miss
Like the uncertain memory of a stranger’s mistaken kiss

As faces slide by in glowing shadows
Like snowbound ghosts that go up and down
In epileptic shivers and negative radioactive slivers
In a landscape of endless dull glitter
And a taste in my mouth so sweet, yet so bitter
We exhaust ourselves trying to get there

[Chorus]
Somebody scream, all right
We’ll try to fill the echoless night
So fasten up and hold tight
We can’t give up without a fight
And we’re going back and forth and back and forth
And back and forth and back
We’re going back and forth and back and forth
And back and forth and back

[Verse 3]
So in the end, whatever, we die, we dissolve
Equations unbalanced, riddles unsolved
And we were never connected or involved
Except for the intersections and crazy mathematics
With no time and no space and no schedule and no place
And they pass right through us without a trace
And sometimes that music drifts through my car
On a spring night when anything is possible
And I close my eyes and I nod my head
And I wonder how you been and I count to a hundred and ten
Because you’ll always be my hero, even if I never see you again
Credits
The Dismemberment Plan

The Dismemberment Plan

About “Back and Forth” by The Dismemberment Plan

Read the complete lyrics to "Back and Forth" by The Dismemberment Plan from the album "Emergency & I" in 1999. 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 Electronica, Electronic, Indietronica.

"Back and Forth" is performed by The Dismemberment Plan. from the album "Emergency & I" in 1999 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 "Back and Forth", explore more songs by The Dismemberment Plan 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 The Dismemberment Plan · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Back and Forth" is credited to The Dismemberment Plan. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Back and Forth" appears on "Emergency & I" in 1999.

Visit the The Dismemberment Plan artist page at /artist/the-dismemberment-plan for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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