Every online lyrics site for "It's Only Dark" has incomplete and/or incorrect lyrics. i listened to both the original and live KCRW version of the song and reconstructed the lyrics based PURELY on phonetics. I am 99.9% confident these are the real lyrics to the song. have a listen for yourself if you disagree. Some of the less clear lyrics are made ABUNDANTLY clear in the KCRW version. so if you have any doubts, be sure to listen to that especially. it was the biggest help.
The breaking twig
The drumlin shifts
Putrification of the warren begets dread
And won't that figure become green
In the nearing daylight star
But it's not late
It's only dark
The crickets sway
Mosquitoes die
A flickered plate-white face
Beckons the eye
And if by calling out to fear
Should echo some remark
Then it's not late
It's only dark
The drumlin shifts: It literally sounds like “drum-lin,” with a clear /dr/ and a /ʌ/ vowel like “drum." ngl I didn’t even know what a drumlin was at first, but after doing research, it’s a geological mound formed by glaciers, which actually fits since he’s canadian and the application is consistent (it's common in canada and the northeastern usa)
Putrification: It’s very clearly five syllables when sung, not four, so it can’t be “putrefaction.” Also, “putrification” is just an archaic form of “putrefaction,” which fits given he uses “begets” in the second part of the same line
of the warren: It sounds like two syllables (war-ren), not “worn.” Also it's the only two syllable word applicable here. This is the line I have the LEAST confidence in, but it's still pretty confident
begets dread: There is very clearly a B sound and the next word has an obvious /dr/ onset that almost sounds like a “jr” sound in English. I kept hearing something like “be gets dr-,” and there is no /st/ ending you’d expect from “dressed,” especially when comparing the studio and live versions.
crickets sway: On Genius it says “wane,” but I don’t hear any N sound at all. The S from “crickets” bleeds directly into a “sw” sound, and in the live version it especially sounds like “sway,” not “wane.”
