Wagging Tongue
"Wagging Tongue" is the second track on Memento Mori.
Lyrics
With your words or wagging tongue
With your long tall tales of sorrow
Your song yet to be sung
I won't be offended
If I'm left across the great divide
Believe me, they will follow
Just to watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
You won't do well to darken me
With your secrets and your lies
With your piercing code of silence
Relax, enjoy the ride
I'll meet you by the river
Or maybe on the other side
You find it hard to swallow
When you watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Another sun is rising
Another day has come
You can find me, I'll be waiting
Until the day is done
I won't be persuaded
Kiss your doubts goodbye
Everything seems hollow
When you watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Watch another angel die
Dave's Take
"With this record, I had four songs...and so I sent a couple of those to Martin. One of them was 'Wagging Tongue.' And then he said, can I play around with it? And he then took the song and just sort of elevated it. He sent it back to me with that kind of arpeggiating synth line, Kraftwerk-esque kind of thing. And I was just like, wow, this is great."1
Dave also talks a little bit about the lyrics in this video starting at the 14:39 mark:
My Take
I love the tinkly synths that open this number, as it somewhat reminds me of the opening notes of "Any Second Now" from Speak and Spell. This is a classic Dave-and-Martin duet and the harmony is somewhat reminiscent of Paul McCartney and John Lennon singing together, especially during the chorus. In the lyrics, I find themes similar to "Condemnation" and "The Things You Said" where the singer feels like they are being (falsely) accused by another person; the accuser is particularly nefarious, employing gossip (i.e., a "wagging tongue") to spread "secrets" and "lies." The singer warns their accuser that their behavior is harmful to someone who is completely innocent which is how I interpret the "watch another angel die" part. A simple and catchy song with a very hum-able melody, this goes down for me as a favorite on the album!
Music Video
There will be a music video for this song to be released on May 24, 2023.