This place is a prison
And these people aren't your friends
Inhaling thrills through $20 bills
And the tumblers are drained
And then flooded again and again

There are guards at the on-ramps
Armed to the teeth
And you may case the grounds
From the Cascades to Puget Sound
But you are not permitted to leave

I know there's a big world out there
Like the one that I saw on the screen
In my living room late last night
It was almost too bright to see

And I know that it's not a party
If it happens every night
Pretending there's glamour and candelabra
When you're drinking by candlelight

What does it take to get a drink in this place?
What does it take, how long must I wait?


Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28, edited by straightconcrete

This Place Is a Prison song meanings
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    Benjammin and imightloseit summed it up perfectly so I'm gonna briefly combine their interpretations. He's having a moment of clarity where he sees the futility of his present surrounding... the trendy, well-off elitists carrying on meaningless conversations...the uptown crowd if you will. The drug reference (coke) is not necessarily about him, but the people around him. I imagine it's the drug of preference for those type of parties. Short high, come down, wanna regain high, take another bump. The cycle continues. This all contrasts with the fictionalized world of tv he saw last night. The true friendship, caring, real substance are all absent. Unfortunately, the thoughts disintegrate soon and he's back in the scene. The frustration peaks into another drink at the bar.

    deathcabdriveron August 13, 2005   Link

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