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'll come down to get you high
Or maybe sing you a lullaby
Sing you to sleep, a sleep you'll never wake from
Sing you to coma so to speak
When I fall down I'll fall apart
Trade in my bike for a shopping cart
And beg change from a world that needs some
Like I need someone
So where are you my little needle?
The stack's been burned away
But I'm so inebriated that I cannot see
Three feet in front of me
Between the moon and you, lunacy is setting in
Lately I've been feeling dead inside
Like my guts have dried up and died
But every night I water them back to life
Yeah every night I water them back to life
When I fall down I'll fall apart
Trade in my bike for a shopping cart
And beg change from a world that needs some
I'm tired of sleeping alone
So where are you my little needle?
The stack's been burned away
But I'm so inebriated that I cannot see
Three feet in front of me
Between the moon and you, lunacy is setting in
Or maybe sing you a lullaby
Sing you to sleep, a sleep you'll never wake from
Sing you to coma so to speak
When I fall down I'll fall apart
Trade in my bike for a shopping cart
And beg change from a world that needs some
Like I need someone
So where are you my little needle?
The stack's been burned away
But I'm so inebriated that I cannot see
Three feet in front of me
Between the moon and you, lunacy is setting in
Lately I've been feeling dead inside
Like my guts have dried up and died
But every night I water them back to life
Yeah every night I water them back to life
When I fall down I'll fall apart
Trade in my bike for a shopping cart
And beg change from a world that needs some
I'm tired of sleeping alone
So where are you my little needle?
The stack's been burned away
But I'm so inebriated that I cannot see
Three feet in front of me
Between the moon and you, lunacy is setting in
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This one guy told me he thinks this song is about doing drugs, but to me it toally means something different. I totally think it is about finding the one person totally right for you. Finding your little needle in a hay stack of people,lol. I know it sounds dumb, but oh well. Thats what I think it means.
i agree. but i think matt has deliberately written it in a way so that it has both of those meanings.
He's feeling lost and confused, and basically disappointed with the life he leads and the world in general. He believes life is like a huge haystack, and his one soulmate (the little needle) is somewhere, and he needs that one person. And he believes that finding her will be the equivalence of the world finding peace.
It's about love. Sorry if that's not punk rock enough for you hardcore dudes. Matt Skiba has said in various interviews that he often compares love to heroin addiction. And, NO, he was never a heroin addict.
It's not about "thinking too deeply" -- it's about realizing nothing is simple. Did it hurt your brains too much to decipher the metaphors? (rolls eyes)
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From a 2011 article by David B. Anthony about misunderstood songs/lyrics:
Alkaline Trio – “My Little Needle”
In its infancy, Alkaline Trio was known as much for its members’ love of substances as its music. Vocalists Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano made numerous references to drinking and drugs, so it was no surprise to find a song called “My Little Needle” on the band’s debut Goddamnit. Opening with, “I’ll come down and get you high,” it seems obvious the song is about a literal needle, and descriptions of withdrawal make an ever stronger case. It wasn’t until 2008 when the album was rereleased that a bonus documentary cleared the air. The song’s chorus, “So where are you, my little needle/ The stacks been burned away but I’m so inebriated” finally made sense, it was not about addiction, but finding true love—the “needle in the haystack.”
this was the first alkaline trio song i had ever heard, and it started my love affair with this band + their incredible lyrics. the metaphors on this song + just the way they word things blows my mind!
God don't ge tme started here. I love this one so much....
alkaline trio are awesome. their lyrics mean so much more than what is said
Holy fuck..... this song is way too fucking good. I honestly do not understand how Matt Skiba can be so fucking incredibly talented and intelligent. Fuck.
I was thinking about this song and I totally agree with you Katers. I think it is about finding the right person for you. The reference to the stack being burned away and being to drunk to see 3 feet in front of him is saying that even when you find that person you might just let them slip away.
Well, I used to think that 'needle' meant something else, but after reading Katers' message, I totally agree. This song is about finding the right one for you -- the needle in the haystack -- but for a multitude of reasons, not being able to find her.
The odd thing is I dont think that Matt intended for all of that to mean what you guys said it dose. I do agree with you however