Lyrics:Outcome [Version (a)]:
Seventeen years in the city
Static clinging to the ceiling
Never did I think it would come to this
Outcome is different than I expected
Never did I think it would come to this
Outcome is different than I expected
Riot cops and cheerleaders
Eyebrows painted on their heads
A mouth full of rotting cavities
Drinking coca-cola in the street
Never did I think it would come to this
Outcome is different than I expected
No, never did I think it would come to this
Outcome is different than I expected
Shot in the leg, shot in the leg
My leg is a bone, nobody home
My hand is a wire, the sky is on fire
The drums are beating, pistols and jeans
Left for dead, left for dead
Left for dead, dead as a fly
The Song:This subtle, pretty song is a fine example of Beck's spur-of-the-moment surreal lyrics, and a fairly tight band performance. The slide guitar is well-done, and the bass melody is a good one. Over it, Beck and Calvin Johnson duet. It's hard to look to deep into some of the images here (it was probably cobbled together from Beck's notebooks), but the chorus leans toward poignancy ("Never did I think it would come to this / Outcome is different than I expected").
Live:Played live 3 times:
Earliest known live version:
October 26, 1994Latest known live version:
November 5, 1994A surprise live performance of the song appears on November 5 1994 in Madrid. I think it's an improvement on the album version. It sounds a bit more uptempo, though the sublime slide guitar of the recording on
One Foot is missed. It's a nice calm bluesy rock performance. The final verse is mumbled by Beck, and it sounds different from the record, but you can't understand him very well.