Download Chris Thile's Song of the Week, "Ornaments," from our December 28, 2019 compilation broadcast. (Originally from December 9, 2017)

The band: Chris Thile, Aoife O'Donovan, Rich Dworsky, Mike Elizondo, Alex Hargreaves, Julian Lage, and Ted Poor.

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Lyrics:

Don we now

Our winter coats

Cheery as a Christmas bonus

Deck the yard with icons

Our neighbors may not like 'em

Set up the lights

And the plastic sheep

Watch our seasonal belief

start to trickle down

May our seasonal belief forever trickle down

Damn we now

Our vague concerns

The sky could fall, Rome might start burning

Deck the hall with revelry

And no regard for history

It's all rum and dancing

Fun and games

'Til someone slips on the perspiration

that trickles down

Someone catch the perspiration as it trickles down

Ornaments

Hang from the branches

Hang from the branches

The year that was

Hangs from the branches

(Hangs in the balance)

Hangs from the branches

America

Hangs in the balance

Hangs in the balance

Dim we now

Our screens in bed

Exhausted as a line of credit

Deck the room with worry

Dream of fire and fury

We smell the smoke

We smell the smoke

We smell the smoke

From the burning hills

We hear the senate swear their millions will trickle down

May the good lord let their joy and comfort trickle down

I know I'm on your list

Because I got my wish

But something's gotta give

'Cause someone always lifts you up

In America we trust

God's been good to us