why you always kickin' up the sand, always kickin' up the sand
god man you're angry and it makes my eyes hurt
why you always kickin' up the sand, kickin' up the sand
you block your sister so the sunbeams miss her

why you always raggin' on the man, always raggin' on the man
it just makes you lookin' like a sad-sack actor
why you always raggin' on the man, raggin' on some system
you think you killed him but you're so so backwards

why you gotta be like that?
you're never gonna bring him back
big fish, little fish, fixing in the dark
if i had one wish, just a wish
throw me in the water
cuz i wanna be a bottomfeeder

why you always hatin' on the cabs, always hatin' on the cabs
just means the cabs are comin' that less faster
why you always hatin' on the cabs, you shake your fist at god
you ain't even noticing that they're all passin'

why you gotta bitch about the band, bitch about the band
you know he loved 'em and they kept him laughin'
why you gotta bitch about the band, you ain't even listening
and man, they're not askin'

why you gotta be like that?
you're never gonna bring him back
big fish, little fish, shooting in the dark
if i had one wish, just a wish
throw me in the water
cuz i wanna be a bottomfeeder
wanna be a bottomfeeder

why you always dyin' in the bath, always dyin' in the bath
just makes me nervous that the lizard king kissed you
why you always dyin' in the bath, dyin' in the bath
it's awful quiet and it makes me miss you

why you gotta be like that?
you're never gonna bring him back
big fish, little fish, dying in the dark
if i had one wish, just a wish
throw me in the water
cuz the cabs ain't comin'
yeah the sun's not shinin'
yeah the bath keeps runnin'
yeah it keeps on rainin'

but the band keeps playin'
yeah the band keeps playin'
yeah the band keeps playin'
yeah the band keeps playin'


Lyrics submitted by imp

Bottomfeeder song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    Song Meaning

    It's about Jim Morrison.

    I know this is a short and obvious interpretation, but I couldn't stand seeing no interpretations for this song.

    MaxNanasyon December 20, 2013   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    I’m watching Amanda talk about this on a live Crowdcast; she says when she was writing these lyrics they were just coming to her, and she was like, “hmmm, that’s cool- I wonder what that means?” Ha. She said you don’t always know or have to know. She’s gone on to discuss the part of wanting to be a bottomfeeder, which is “the stuff that lives on the bottom of the ocean and eats the trash and literal shit.” But it’s an important part of the ecosystem. And that came to mean an acceptance of all of the parts of her- she has parts that have to experience pain and are shitty, but also are an important part of her own personal ecosystem.\nThe first lyrics she wrote for the song were “why you always raggin on the man, raggin on the man…” and she thought it was cool sounding and, “wow that doesn’t sound Amanda Palmer-y.” And that came to mean the paradox of someone “raggin on the man” without realizing that THEY are the man.

    funnyfloweron March 18, 2022   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    can't be about Jim Morrison, cuz he Is the Lizzard King. i think it's about maybe a friend, or celeb that was a bad actor that somehow killed someone and was in a band that didn't do well. ending up dying in a bath, (kissed by the Lizzard King) just how Morrison died.

    krisstaar20on July 24, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The song starts as the boy is a child. Attention seeking to the detriment of his sister. The acting up is followed by chastisement. It\'s most likely the loss of his father since it started so young.\n\nThe song progresses through other examples of directionless anger and drug abuse. Fixin and shooting in the dark ending with his eventual death in the overdose in the bath.\n\nThe father probably committed suicide as the narrator here comments about the protagonist blaming a system for his death. it might not be true but it lends to that idea and is another example of misplaced or directionless anger.

    champiodion February 18, 2022   Link

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