Old Habits Die Hard

The following is an excerpt of an email sent from Will to the group on 7 September 2015.

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee, 10 May 1813

Here are the words to "Old Habits."

As always, feel free to change them. The only thing essential to the song is the idea that the song is cyclical--it needs to end where it begins. I can't remember if I told you, but it seems especially fitting now--the lyrics are based on a chain email that went around a lot during the Bush years. I'm not sure why it's less popular under Obama, but I'm sure it's his fault. Thanks, Obama.

Anyway, it's based on a cool theory that has been misattributed since the days of print. I've attached a Snopes article on it; they seem to have cut their research into the history of the piece's publication beyond the last few decades. It seems fitting in the context of the album and the project that the song features the wisdom of a made-up person that has been passed down for at least two hundred years without ever properly citing any sources. Ostensibly, it gets passed down because people remember that one newspaper article they read, which turns into that one radio story they heard, which becomes that one magazine article they can't find, etc. Maybe Slender Man wrote it originally.

Here's another exposé with more of the older history.

Old Habits Die Hard

Slaves to desire
We lost our way
Til we found faith
Began to pray
Found the strength
To break free
Forged a path
Of liberty
Grew our home
Our way of life
Forgot the days
Of pain and strife
When others fell
We let them be
They didn’t work
As hard as we

Old habits die hard
Old habits die hard

And then the bills
Kept rolling in
We’d lost our sense
Of discipline
We looked for help
At any price
Easily
Absorbed advice

Old habits die hard
Old habits die hard

For anything
We’d get for free
Relinquished our
Autonomy
Slaves to desire
We lost our way
Til we found faith
Began to pray

Old habits die hard. x 4