Caution

'Brown sugar ice in our veins' is a metaphor that could translate to 'cold unrefined energy' that is maybe lucid, heavy and rapid, pulsing through a persons body or prehaps the veins of the air in their surroundings. Because the lyrics are abstract, it is logical to think that the meaning behind them are not at face value, they are more about strong physical sensations and feelings and thoughts.

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Improvised, stream-of-consciousness stuff. Not planned at all, but it still sounds pretty impressive. As Mark says:

'As I said on the album description the vocal was completely spontaneous, nothing actually written when I stepped up to the mike to do the take. I'd tried to write something down but to be honest I was struggling and decided to use a 'stream f consciousness' approach, which involved a litre of wine in a very dark vocal booth. We did about six takes all in all, each completely different, but I could tell from the Producer's voice on the intercom that we had something special. I'd placed a glass on the floor, in the dark, and during te takes I'd somehow broken it without realising and cut myself. The Producer and engineer couldn't see me so when it was finished they drew back the curtain and turned on the lights to find me covered in blood, they thought, I think, that I'd been mutilating myself in the name of method performance. I did nothing to kill the myth :-)'

I really think its about lonliness and feeling rejected and ostracized by society.

I think this song is about actively confronting the pressures of society. I think the song is also addressing exile. The instrumental spatially carries the lyrics along like they are running or are let loose.

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It's their most explicit lyrics about heroin, "Brown sugar, ice in our veins No pressure, no pain". A cautionary tale.

I think parts are about how their hometown doesn't feel like home anymore ("This is not my home") because so many have died ("Everybody's checking out the dead and cold").

It ends in desperation ("Nothing on earth could help me, no").

A cautionary tale and hard hitting. They're still my favourite band of all time, their music I always return to more than any other artist year after year, although this song isn't high up the list for me.