Well, I met you at the blood bank
We were looking at the bags
Wondering if any of the colors
Matched any of the names we knew on the tags

You said "see lookit, that's yours
Stacked on top with your brother's
See how they resemble one another
Even in their plastic little covers"

And I said I know it well

That secret that you knew
But don't know how to tell
It fucks with your honor
And it teases your head
But you know that it's good, girl
'Cause its running you with red

Then the snow started falling
We were stuck out in your car
You were rubbing both of my hands
Chewing on a candy bar

You said "ain't this just like the present
To be showing up like this"
As a moon waned to crescent
We started to kiss

And I said I know it well

That secret that we know
That we don't know how to tell
I'm in love with your honor
I'm in love with your cheeks
What's that noise up the stairs babe?
Is that Christmas morning creaks?

And I said I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well
And I know it well


Lyrics submitted by sidelinedseason, edited by benapere

Blood Bank Lyrics as written by Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Blood Bank song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

112 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well I met you at the blood bank We were looking at the bags Wondering if any of the colors Matched any of the names we knew on the tags You said "see look, that's yours! Stacked on top with your brother's See how they resemble one another Even in their plastic little covers"

    I said I know it well

    I see this as the story of how the two of them met... The may be long time friends (The way I interpret it) or this could have developed rapidly but either way this is an origin anecdote. The girl points out some bonds that are deeper than the surface, like those of brothers through blood. He looks at her and feels a strong connection, similar to that which she describes with the blood, (I said I know it well).

    That secret that you know But don't know how to tell It fucks with your honor And it teases your head

    He knows he wants her but doesn't know how to tell her. I don't see this as him narrating the girl's emotions I see it rather as a soliloquy of the phrase he wishes he could say to her. Or even a phrase that he directs to the listener. He realizes that the with the secret lying beneath the surface he can't be happy with her and can't see himself in the light he wants to. "It fucks with (his) honour" because he feels as if he's betraying her friendship by having these thoughts. "It teases (his) head" because when you're in love with a friend (we've all been there)... you read the smallest signs and gain hope from the smallest things. In essence, the secret and the hope that you hold 'teases your head'.

    But you know that it's good girl 'cause it's running you with red

    Definitely a statement he wishes to direct to the girl. He's confident she feels the same way, you know that it's good girl. It's running (her) with red is either a reference to the way she blushes when they talk, or perhaps a reference to the blood metaphor and the strength of the bond that he knows she feels as well.

    then the snow started falling we were stuck out in your car you were rubbing both my hands chewing on a candy bar you said aint this just like the present to be showing up like this there's a moon __ crescent (waiting to?) we started to kiss

    This is the moment where the friendship transforms. As Vernon alluded to in his live performance, this song is about being stuck in a car with the girl. A moment created by pure chance where they finally break through the barriers of friendship that have stood in their way. A platonic moment which evolves. Rubbing his hands (likely because he was cold), chewing on a candy bar shows that this action is comfortable... but you can feel the tension in the moment. "Aint this just like the present to be showing up like this" (It figures. that in the one moment that I've stopped worrying and thinking about this happening, it finally comes together). They kiss.

    And I said I know it well - "allusion to the moment he first realized he loved her" That secret that we know That we don't know how to tell - "The same secret that they both held is now being revealed" I'm in love with your honor I'm in love with your cheeks - "The secret was always his love for her" What's that noise up the stairs babe? Is that Christmas morning creaks?

    Not sure what these two lines are alluding to, but my thought is this is now years in the future and the song is reminiscing in a way. The two have grown old together and have kids and a family. They're sitting up late at night on Christmas eve reminiscing about their relationship, and can hear their kids still awake upstairs, potentially an anniversary?

    And I said I know it well I know it well ...

    He knew the truth about those deep life affirming bonds before, but his knowledge of them has only grown.

    Just my take on it but I think that often the simplest interpretation is the best and often the most moving.

    asp1007on December 30, 2009   Link

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

Album art
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Album art
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Album art
The Spy
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Album art
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."