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.
Behind this gold picket fence lies a whole institute
Where wallpaper painters scrape and scarecrows swell waterlogged,
Now I got dead time on my hands
For feeding my animals,
All of this time on my hands
So far has gone to feeding my animals
On this dark kissed day the light shines through only you
Or is it because your silhouette is your frame like an empty window,
Now I got cold time up my sleeve, I’m feeling destitute,
All of this time on my hands
So far has gone to feeding my animals
I feel root vegetable! Am I dead?
Or buried alive? I sleep warm velvet wand,
Buy the night…I’m selling the sun, my skin feels
Silky smooth now I’m buried in mud
All of this time on my hands,
So far has gone to feeding my animals,
All of that time I was dead,
Limbless in bed, sedated experiment na, na, na, na
Where wallpaper painters scrape and scarecrows swell waterlogged,
Now I got dead time on my hands
For feeding my animals,
All of this time on my hands
So far has gone to feeding my animals
On this dark kissed day the light shines through only you
Or is it because your silhouette is your frame like an empty window,
Now I got cold time up my sleeve, I’m feeling destitute,
All of this time on my hands
So far has gone to feeding my animals
I feel root vegetable! Am I dead?
Or buried alive? I sleep warm velvet wand,
Buy the night…I’m selling the sun, my skin feels
Silky smooth now I’m buried in mud
All of this time on my hands,
So far has gone to feeding my animals,
All of that time I was dead,
Limbless in bed, sedated experiment na, na, na, na
Lyrics submitted by katie-s
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Seems to be about his arthritis, how he couldn't get out of bed for long stretches of time.
"All of this time I was dead, limbless in bed"
I believe this song is about Daniel's arthritis. He repeats that he's got "all of this time" on his hands, that's probably because he couldn't really do anything for a long period of time, so he had a lot of time to kill.
It may be a little far-fetched, I don't know, but I think that maybe the line "Where wallpaper painters scrape and scarecrows swell waterlogged" refers to his joints, because the scraping is the pain he feels in his joints, like someone is actually scraping his bones. And the "swell waterlogged" part may symbolise his joints swelling up.
I think the part "On this dark kissed day the light shines through only you, Or is it because your silhouette is your frame like an empty window" means that the only way in which Daniel saw light was the sun shining through his window, because he remained inside his home a lot, because he was unable to go out and do stuff, so he's kind of trapped in his home.
At the end, "All of that time I was dead, Limbless in bed, sedated experiment", probably refers to not being able to do anything as well. There were a lot of days Daniel couldn't even get out of bed because of the severity of his arthritis. And "sedated experiment" refers to all the pills he had to take against the pain. His doctors didn't know how to treat him, so he got lots of pills to try to ease the pain.
The rest of the lyrics I think you can figure out by yourself. I have done my share by writing such a long explanation :) By the way, awesome song!
No one has commented on this song!! It's totally different from anything I've heard before. I love it. Not sure what the lyrics are all about. Maybe a little bit about Daniel's illness?
the song is all about our man dan's transitory romance with pain killers. the dissociatives are great. are you on the forums? (matt)
This song is the exact kind of music that I love Daniel Johns is such genius not sure what its all about, but it looks like its about pain killers...
Seems to be about his arthritis, how he couldn't get out of bed for long stretches of time.
"All of this time I was dead, limbless in bed"
I like this song and the barrel one but I wish I never bought this cd. It was a waste of money. :(
werd, i agree with imajar about his arthritis...this is the greatest song by the dissociatves,its so different from other songs today,so is rain and staging a traffic jam.
Really great song. :) For me, the lyrics represent the description of an animal vivisection laboratory ('whole institute') and the feelings of who is in there, both human ('wallpaper painters scrape') and animal ('scarecrows swell waterlogged').
Feeding the animals is a term that I believe shows how animal testers feed what they are just going to destroy and the positive imagery puts a juxtaposition to the true meaning of the song. The second verse desribes the tester as empty and dark (silhouette, empty window) and of course destitute.
'I feel root vegetable! Am I dead? Or buried alive? I sleep warm velvet wand, Buy the night…I’m selling the sun, my skin feels Silky smooth now I’m buried in mud'
and
'All of that time I was dead, Limbless in bed, sedated experiment'
...describes the helpless feelings and status of the unfortunate subjects. There we go. If it means what I believe it to, the lyrical protest to the subject of animal abuse in Daniel's song is again very effective, as it is in other songs of his such as spawn again and arguably Angry Megaphone Man amongst others. Brilliant.