Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Uh, uh
Take a breath, take it deep
Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take the gun and count to three
I'm sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
I know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
Say a prayer, to yourself
He says, close your eyes
Sometimes it helps
And then I get, a scary thought
That he's here, means he's never lost
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
As my life flashes before my eyes
I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
But it's too late to think of the value of my life
And you can see my heart beating
Ohh-oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
Take a breath, take it deep
Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take the gun and count to three
I'm sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
I know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
Say a prayer, to yourself
He says, close your eyes
Sometimes it helps
And then I get, a scary thought
That he's here, means he's never lost
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
As my life flashes before my eyes
I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
But it's too late to think of the value of my life
And you can see my heart beating
Ohh-oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
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I think this song is about falling in love, but it is speaking about it from a totally helpless point of view. A lot of songs are about love being bliss but in reality it can be paralysing. The metaphor of russian roulette and shooting yourself, is plunging in to a relationship. The moment where you 'pull the trigger' is the moment where you commit to someone enough, that they are now in a position to break your heart. The line of 'hes here means he has never lost' means because he single/available means he has never played the game and not lost his heart anyone completely.
I guess, as normal in a rihanna song, the act of sleeping with the guy is the act of pulling the trigger and falling for him. 'close your eyes, sometimes it helps' is kissing etc
The middle 8 is a bit intense, but can sadly also be true. ''Too late to pick up the value of my life'' is that feeling where you are no longer completely self dependant. That horrible feeling were you can't imagine having not met someone and that you are not complete without them. Sappy movies such as Jerry Maguire have made sentiment of this, but it is actually painful to be that in love with some one.
Very interesting song because it barely strays from the metaphor and could almost be a literal meaning.
I could be wrong, but I think the song is an analogy for being at a tough point in life and you need to make a difficult choice on what to do. The "gun" represents the choice you make and the game of Russian Roulette is representing the fact that you don't know the future, so you don't know the complete outcome of the choice that you made.
totally agree. this song has come under a LOT of criticism for supposedly "glorifying suicide," but I see the real meaning behind the words as being about an inevitable change/choice in life that you just can't be sure of.<br /> <br /> the line "so many won't get the chance to say goodbye" is particularly eerie, but think about it this way: sometimes you makes changes in your life that are sudden and really shock people, and they'll confront you with "why?" or "you never were like this before," etc. You know you are on the brink of a huge change, but you don't have the time or the words to explain to/prepare those around you.
I agree with you and everyone who said this song is about decision making with someone you love. You don't know rather to trust your heart or your "comfort zone." I relating to this song. Right now Im making the decision to move out with my boyfriend or not and I never moved out of my parents house before. But I'm getting older 24 years old and he already has proposed to me so he plans to stay but yet I'm still nervous and I need to just "pull the trigger" and stop worrying about my "what ifs"
This song is filled with nothing but metaphors. I think it all depends on how your feeling when you hear the song.
At first, I thought it was about a suicide. But after listening to it a couple times, I think its about falling in love.
" Take a breath, take it deep. calm yourself, he says to me if you play, you play for keeps, take a gun and count to three
Say a prayer, to yourself Close your eyes, sometimes it helps."
i see that as taking the chance of falling deeply in love and giving your all and knowing that the end result will be devastating and ultimately life changing. Thus the: "You can see my heart beating-you can see it through my chest. Im terrified, but im not leaving, know that i must pass this test So just pull the trigger."
READ THE LYRICS AND REALLY SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT SHE'S TRYNA SAY PEOPLE...DUHH??PEOPLE RIHANNA IS NOT GONNA KILL HERSELF! IT'S COMPARED 2 RELATIONSHIPS AND PUTTING YOUR ALL AND ALL IN IT! N FACING UR FEARS THE FEAR IS DA BULLET DA BULLET IS CHRIS BROWN LIKE DEY SAY ITS DO OR DIE NOW OR NEVER HOW CAN YOU GAT OVER AN OBSTACLE IF YOU DONT FACE IT??SHE'S SAYING RIGHT NOW SHE DON'T GIVE A SHIT AND IF LOVE FAILS AT LEAST SHE F** TRIED.STAY STRONG RHI RHI.AT LEAST SHE HAVE TO FRIGGIN BALLS TO DO IT!SHE SHOWS SIGNIFICANT STRENGTH IN THIS SONG.
sweetphii, you are making a whole lot of sense! this is exactly how I see that song. and actually, <br /> I don't think she is holding the gun to her head, but to his... russian roulette or not... it sounds that way. to me.
I agree with iKrokox3. I think its about her boyfriend leaving her and its so painful she feels like she is dying so he might aswell pull the trigger. I know there has to be more to this. I know im not dead.
I think it's about chris and what he did to her tbh. "As my life flashes before my eyes I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise? So many wont get the chance to say goodbye But it's too late to pick up the value of my life" If i was was her then, i'd be wondering if i'd see another sunrise, and your life would flash before your eyes :(
Thats my personal opinion on this song :) x
not about Chris. He wansnt killing her. Why would her life flash if he wasn't killing her?
You never know. Maybe her life did flash before her eyes. She could have been so scared and not known if he was going to kill her or not. You have no idea what thoughts could have been running through her mind in that moment.
The fact that it comes from the Rated R album means it was about all the feelings she went through in her relationship with Chris Brown. She said it in an interview with Sway. She didn't go into each song separately, but she did say that the entire album represents her feelings and what she went through. <br /> <br /> Being from an abusive relationship myself, I can totally relate to the entire CD and I think its one of her best to date, at least for me. <br /> <br /> When you are in that kind of relationship, the truth is, you ARE playing a game of Russian roulette because you never know if you are literally going to be killed the next time he beats you. And when it says "he's been here before" you could take that literally in a domestic abuse relationship because 9 times out of 10, that guy has beat another woman before you and has never truly been punished for it.<br /> <br /> She is scared to leave him and he's testing her constantly to prove her love for him.<br /> <br /> Every time I listen to this song, I am so thankful to be out of that relationship, this song truly has a place in my heart.
I think it's a metaphor. Russian Roulette is like the relationship she is in. She's saying how she has to get out before it's too late... 'pull the trigger'
I saw a quote from Rihanna about what the song means but I can't find it!
A woman that has been abused in her life can feel what she means with this song. This is my feeling at least. <br /> If I pulled the trigger, the gun would not be aimed at me, but at him... there is so much hate in you, when a guy beats the hell out of you and you find yourself in hospital!! Rihanna went through that and this song sounds like a metaphorical testimony of this experience.
well, I personally think it's a drug refferance, considering someone is forcing her to play this "game" also with the line "that he's here means he's never lost" kinda brings up that you can never truly win against addiction.
i'm trying to decide if it's an actual game of russian roulette or a metaphor... someone help. haha.
powerful song regardless. (:
to me it sounds like she loves someone a lot and he's wanting her to do something that she doesn't want to. It could be related to anything; Losing a virginity, drugs, anything reckless. Like she's trying to prove her love to him. Maybe compare it to joining a gang or something? <br /> <br /> You can see it through my chest<br /> And I'm terrified but I'm not leaving<br /> Know that I must must pass this test<br /> So just pull the trigger<br /> <br /> <br /> At a part of the song he's "helping" her do it. telling her things to make it easier. Like he wants her to do it to prove she's all his.<br /> <br /> Say a prayer to yourself<br /> He says close your eyes<br /> Sometimes it helps<br /> And then I get a scary thought<br /> That he's here means he's never lost<br />
I think it's a metaphor.<br /> She needs to get out before it's too late... like the pulling of the trigger.
I think that this song is both a metaphor for a psychologically and emotionally trying or physically abusive relationship, as well as an analogy of the actual game of russian roulette. I can only imagine that in the game of russian roulette, one must be terrified and contemplating the consequences of putting the gun to ones own head and pulling the trigger. If you pull the trigger and it kills you, you won't get a chance to see another "sun rise," "say goodbye," or explain why. "I would guess" that in order for someone to actually play russian roulette, "that person" would have to feel like what they have to gain from playing is really worth it and possibly even outweighs what they have to lose. In other words they may see their life as somewhat meaningless without what is it that they are playing for. The same could be said for those who remain in emotionally and physically abusive relationships. In "some cases" these individuals actually make the choice "not to leave," they feel like the abuse is just a "test" that they have to "pass" and eventually everything will be ok. Staying in this kind of relationship is sometimes like pulling the trigger, and signing your own death warrant, especially if the individual ends up dead. Finally, I think the part where Rihanna says, "And then I get this scary thought, that he's here, means he's never lost," is literal for the actual game. For me, this song represents Rihanna's tragic incident and former relationship with Chris Brown, especially the brief moment when she almost decided to stay.
I think that this song is both a metaphor for a psychologically and emotionally trying or physically abusive relationship, as well as an analogy of the actual game of russian roulette. I can only imagine that in the game of russian roulette, one must be terrified and contemplating the consequences of putting the gun to ones own head and pulling the trigger. If you pull the trigger and it kills you, you won't get a chance to see another "sun rise," "say goodbye," or explain why. "I would guess" that in order for someone to actually play russian roulette, "that person" would have to feel like what they have to gain from playing is really worth it and possibly even outweighs what they have to lose. In other words they may see their life as somewhat meaningless without what is it that they are playing for. The same could be said for those who remain in emotionally and physically abusive relationships. In "some cases" these individuals actually make the choice "not to leave," they feel like the abuse is just a "test" that they have to "pass" and eventually everything will be ok. Staying in this kind of relationship is sometimes like pulling the trigger, and signing your own death warrant, especially if the individual ends up dead. Finally, I think the part where Rihanna says, "And then I get this scary thought, that he's here, means he's never lost," is literal for the actual game. For me, this song represents Rihanna's tragic incident and former relationship with Chris Brown, especially the brief moment when she almost decided to stay.
Sounds maybe something to do with love and perhaps suicide?
i agree with the suicide