5 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Whiskey & Ritalin Lyrics
From hand to heart and hands to head
These gritty teeth grind gears of infrared
He crash lands in dull white noise
All I hear is static in his voice
When those sweet red hands start their whirlwinds
And you're the drain
You're imagining things, your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act
Your rabbit's foot is hare and hounds
And I drag pianos, eyes glued to the ground
When he dialed 911
Busy signals sang familiar songs
When those sweet red hands start their whirlwinds
And you're the plane
You're imagining things, your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
If we bought the stock we'd be broke
You taught us to claw
Put us through a speech
If I'm a red anchor
Then you're coming with me
And on the way down
We'll sleep with the fish
As we go into the blue
We can both reminisce
And you better hide
Or learn how to climb
Cause you're coming with me
And on the way down
You'll sleep with the fish
You're coming with me
You're imagining things, your pretend machine
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act
These gritty teeth grind gears of infrared
He crash lands in dull white noise
All I hear is static in his voice
And you're the drain
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act
And I drag pianos, eyes glued to the ground
When he dialed 911
Busy signals sang familiar songs
And you're the plane
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
If we bought the stock we'd be broke
Put us through a speech
If I'm a red anchor
Then you're coming with me
And on the way down
We'll sleep with the fish
As we go into the blue
We can both reminisce
Or learn how to climb
Cause you're coming with me
And on the way down
You'll sleep with the fish
You're coming with me
Has sticks in its every spoke
You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls
Welcome to the balancing act
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I've listened to this song countless times and I have to say it's my favorite from A&A.
This song to me is nothing but a complete downward spiral, probably coming from the vocalist. All of Fair to Midland stated that the album was much more depressing than "Fables", so we can start there. The drugs and alcohol can take anyone down that path. This choice words all have to do with crashing, falling, or in a sense, simply going down.
I love this song, the intense beats pumps me up.
I think it is mainly talking about being oppressed, and lashing out to the oppressor. "You taught us to claw, Put us through a speech, If I'm a red anchor,Then you're coming with me, And on the way down,We'll sleep with the fish, As we go into the blue, We can both reminisce" This could reference the initial attack on the oppressor "When those sweet red hands start their whirlwinds And you're the drain"
Think you're on the right track there. FTM often seems to have a lot of oppressive and semi-political undertones in their music. A few other things I noticed.
Think you're on the right track there. FTM often seems to have a lot of oppressive and semi-political undertones in their music. A few other things I noticed.
"When he dialed 911/ Busy signals sang familiar songs." Could mean that when the oppressed struck back, the tyranny of the opressor made it so that no one helped him.
"When he dialed 911/ Busy signals sang familiar songs." Could mean that when the oppressed struck back, the tyranny of the opressor made it so that no one helped him.
"I drag pianos, eyes fixed to the ground." More opression.
"I drag pianos, eyes fixed to the ground." More opression.
The chorus also seems to point a little towards some sort of politics. This "pretend machine," or system of order, that the opressor has made up, isn't perfect like...
The chorus also seems to point a little towards some sort of politics. This "pretend machine," or system of order, that the opressor has made up, isn't perfect like he wants it to be. "You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls" could refer to propoganda, possibly. That's just my thoughts though, I could be completely wrong.
I look at the lyrics as referencing going to war (or supporting war) and causing things on the homefront to fall to waste. "Hand to heart" (national anthem/patriotism) and hands to head (either saluting or in exasperation).
I look at the lyrics as referencing going to war (or supporting war) and causing things on the homefront to fall to waste. "Hand to heart" (national anthem/patriotism) and hands to head (either saluting or in exasperation).
And there comes a time when the people can only take so much from its leaders, and they either get voted out of office or a revolution will arise. ("And you better hide Or learn how to climb Cause you're coming with me")
And there comes a time when the people can only take so much from its leaders, and they either get voted out of office or a revolution will arise. ("And you better hide Or learn how to climb Cause you're coming with me")
@bbrocker That would make sense. Recently found out his wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim.
@bbrocker That would make sense. Recently found out his wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim.
here is what I hear when I listen to this song.
your head is making things only you can see and no one else you take so much that you crash and snore and mumble then the drugs start to pour down your head then Your head gets messed up, you create ridiculous issues from nothing. You're pretty damn lucky you haven't really killed yourself If I had any compassion for you I would have already lost it all You used to inspire us, but now your just bringing us all down now I can just remember how you were but right now your on the path of death This is how they balance your life
@conleyrasor Recently found out the singer's wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim. The lyrics might be more along the lines of what he was experiencing others thought was made up, since most people sided with his wife. Something like Only he can see what's really happening and people keep telling him "You're imagining things, your pretend machine Has sticks in its every spoke You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls." Drug use and a downward spiral are very common results of abuse.
@conleyrasor Recently found out the singer's wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim. The lyrics might be more along the lines of what he was experiencing others thought was made up, since most people sided with his wife. Something like Only he can see what's really happening and people keep telling him "You're imagining things, your pretend machine Has sticks in its every spoke You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls." Drug use and a downward spiral are very common results of abuse.
This song says schizophrenia to me. More specifically, stimulant psychosis. Which is is a "schizophrenic-esque" psychotic episode characterized mostly by auditory and vision hallucinations. Along with a breakdown of thought. It seems to me that Darroh may have been experiencing this at at the time. The lines of the chorus makes it quite evident. Being schizophrenic this this song seems just to coincidental to not be a psychotic "episode" of some sort. Especially since the "voice" he is communicating with is so antagonizing.
@Memetalman Recently found out Darroh's wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim. The lyrics might be more along the lines of what he was experiencing others thought was made up, since most people sided with his wife. Something like Only he can see what's really happening and people keep telling him "You're imagining things, your pretend machine Has sticks in its every spoke You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls."
@Memetalman Recently found out Darroh's wife was abusive towards him and publicly stated she was the victim. The lyrics might be more along the lines of what he was experiencing others thought was made up, since most people sided with his wife. Something like Only he can see what's really happening and people keep telling him "You're imagining things, your pretend machine Has sticks in its every spoke You're inventing it all from thin air and close calls."
It seems like it's...about some sort of plane crash. 9-11 immediately comes to mind, but I don't think that would be it...
I also get cyberpunk/sci-fi vibes, although that could just be the story I'm working on doing that.
@valbino It's definitely 911, the emergency call. The rest of the lyrics all point to something maybe about an overdose or suicide, and very much so overall depression.
@valbino It's definitely 911, the emergency call. The rest of the lyrics all point to something maybe about an overdose or suicide, and very much so overall depression.