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Our Lady Peace

Allowance

Allowance was one of the last songs written for Curve. It was born in mid-December, 2011, at which time the band posted a video of Raine and Steve developing the song together.

The bold tones in the song's intro were created by Steve Mazur running a guitar through a harmonizer.

"Steve brought that in to me, it was just that lick, and I thought, 'I don't know if this totally creeps me out or if I love this.' It was one of those things that’s just so bold – and when we talk about being brave, it's one of those things. When something doesn’t resonate because it's comfortable, then that’s when it was like, 'Okay, we need to be brave' – and that was one of those sounds. I felt like, 'This is really affecting me. I'm not sure how, but I love that it makes me a little bit nervous.'" - Raine Maida, interview in Montreal Gazette

An acoustic version was recorded for CBC's Q, of which an mp3 can be found in the Downloads section.

Lyrics

Skies like angels turn to rust
We hide inside our pickup trucks
Thoughts heavy like aeroplanes
Come crashing down and burst in flames
Memories, I'd cash them in for peace of mind and some discipline

No turning back
I'm starting to mend
A fortunate man I've always been
I tear at my heart
If I don't concede I'm only as good as you allow me to be

Friends will come and friends will go
You, my friend, own my soul
Raindrops plummet from the sky
Inside my lungs a battle cry

see concise lyrics