Better Off Dead

Good lord, the lyrics to this song are mighty depressing, but the backing track is so upbeat, it distracts you from them. Bill writes of an alcoholic not denying of his problems who is on his last leg - his wife and children have abandoned him and this has left him wrecked, mentally. “Now,” the protagonist sings, “I must die by my own hand, ‘cause I’m not man enough to live alone. … She’s better off without me and I’m better off dead now that she’s gone.” (The second pre-chorus changes the lyric slightly; here, he says “Now, I must leave what I can’t face; I hope she finds the kids a happy home”). Despite efforts from outside forces such as the local priest and promises of swearing off the stuff, he couldn’t shake his habit and paid the price, in the long run. Financially, he left those around him in shambles, as he admits to drying up any sort of savings and being forced to pawn off belongings, seemingly as a front to his wife as money for bills/other expenses, but it all went to the bottle because he couldn’t help himself. The wife is described as inconsolable, crying to her friend all hours of the day on the telephone; that is, until said item is disconnected by the company because its bill was past due. As the last chorus winds down, he reaches the “I’m better off dead…” refrain one final time (not completing the lyric as listed above; to me, this indicates he truly is set in his ways and has no regrets as to ending his life); the listener is jarred by a gunshot sound effect, bringing the song and album to an abrupt and shocking end. Though it barely clocks in at two minutes, Bill concisely and magnificently paints the picture the song conveys. It almost makes one wonder if, at all, this song truly was biographical, or if it was just an idea Bill put to music…