This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Emma appeared like an angel
Emma fell like rain
Into my lap, like a heart attack
Like the lightning from her name
I?m running dry of bad excuses
Don?t wanna lie or seem intrusive
But time hasn't told me anything
And neither has she
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one silver bullet and two Vicodin
And two Vicodin
Emma woke up in darkness
Suitcase already packed
Wrote on the bag stand, signed in blood
Sincerely never coming back
A nightmare on my street the day she arrived
The nightmarish household in which she died
?cause it made her feel at home
Somehow made me feel at home
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one wooden stake through the heart
And two Vicodin
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one silver bullet and two Vicodin
And we watched the sun fall crown
On a city that sleeps in a world upside down
A slow ticket straight out of town
You went out with a bang when you took
With you all my dreams underground [Repeat: x4]
Emma fell like rain
Into my lap, like a heart attack
Like the lightning from her name
I?m running dry of bad excuses
Don?t wanna lie or seem intrusive
But time hasn't told me anything
And neither has she
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one silver bullet and two Vicodin
And two Vicodin
Emma woke up in darkness
Suitcase already packed
Wrote on the bag stand, signed in blood
Sincerely never coming back
A nightmare on my street the day she arrived
The nightmarish household in which she died
?cause it made her feel at home
Somehow made me feel at home
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one wooden stake through the heart
And two Vicodin
A poinsettia in poison rain
Twenty-two local rips of an injury
Washed her down the drain
With one silver bullet and two Vicodin
And we watched the sun fall crown
On a city that sleeps in a world upside down
A slow ticket straight out of town
You went out with a bang when you took
With you all my dreams underground [Repeat: x4]
Lyrics submitted by a scar in the sky, edited by c0c
The Black and White Lyrics as written by Mike Burkett
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
No Surprises
Radiohead
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Zombie
Cranberries, The
Cranberries, The
"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
This song is pretty much about a small-town redneck society can destroy people who are outcasts, which in this case is a gay guy and a feminist.
Its about how society doesnt accept lesbians and gays, so that lesbians and gays have to live in secret, or theyll be prosecuted by everyone else. The problem is that people like catherine mckinnen and andrea dworkin are against sex, and anything that the bible doesnt tell us is good.
Western society is so fucked up with the issue of sex and nudity because of that shit book called the bible and all the morons who follow it as if its their life. Taking away things that feel right, and are good is what people like catherine and andrea do, and it causes gays and lebians to be ashamed of what they are.
Get over yourselves people, there really isnt anything wrong if someone wants to do someone of the same sex in the ass.
I don't think it's directly about homosexuals or "anti-sex" feminists, they're just good examples of ignorance in action created by black and white thinking.
Yep, ignorance and arrogance. THats the main point put forward in this song, gays and lessies suffer because of ones ignorance. Im actually surprised more people havent commented on this song. I personally reckon its the best on Heavy petting Zoo, apart from Drop the World. Also its the fastest.
Hiding your sexual orientation and living a "normal" life to be accepted in society.
so true, the song is really showing things in our society which are sick
pheurton is right, this song isn't really "about" gays or feminists, they're just a really good example of a closed mind leading to a raised fist.
There is a missing line. After "But what she really hates is sex" comes Erotic images oppress and debase women as a whole.
One of the more meaningful older NOFX songs. It deserves more attention!