I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
i'd like to see you word fuck your way out of this. shock me with bad, 8th grade poetry. show me struggle. shooting pains up your arms. a heart attack headliner. frantic midnight calls, laugh it off. you're an eight-car pile up news-break crying look at me.
be pain. make me believe neglect. feel the word in the back of your throat. spit it out. i'll try to look surprised. 'sell all my things. i'm going to heaven.' we're all conspirators. aren't we? you'll show us. you're not afraid. then hold out your hand and try to keep it from shaking.
show me pain. here's your chance. back up your shot in the dark. your typewriter keystroke. you're my great war. and no this isn't pretentious, it's the only way. besides i don't know how much longer i can plead with this sharp pain in my ribs. put that nice mark at the end of the story about a poor man and his river. cry it for the last time. this is me playing the smallest violin ever.
be pain. make me believe neglect. feel the word in the back of your throat. spit it out. i'll try to look surprised. 'sell all my things. i'm going to heaven.' we're all conspirators. aren't we? you'll show us. you're not afraid. then hold out your hand and try to keep it from shaking.
show me pain. here's your chance. back up your shot in the dark. your typewriter keystroke. you're my great war. and no this isn't pretentious, it's the only way. besides i don't know how much longer i can plead with this sharp pain in my ribs. put that nice mark at the end of the story about a poor man and his river. cry it for the last time. this is me playing the smallest violin ever.
Lyrics submitted by rustedhope
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This song is all about blow.
I love the "bad 8th grade poetry line" mainly becuase thats what 93% of the MTV music is.