Officer
Please don't haul me in
Though I'm drunk again
I can explain
I swear to you
For a week I have
Been completely dry
Until tonight
He's been such a good example
Everything he's done for me
I couldn't bear to let him down

Monday night
Brother sat me down
Very graciously
And explained
If I'm going to help you
I must make it very clear
Brother that I love you
But certainly I hate your sin
So you see you can't arrest me
I swore I'd be careful not to
Further shame the family name


Lyrics submitted by ScreamingInfidelity

To Protect the Family Name Lyrics as written by David Shannon Bazan

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

To Protect the Family Name song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hey everyone look at my comments under "Mind Of her Own" not "A Mind of her Own". It explains what the whole "Winners Never Quit" CD is about. The Whole cd is a story where each song explains a part of the story. It is christian. I promise. The "Whole" ep does the same thing in that it tells a story of David Bazan's Life and addiction to drugs but repents and is forgiven!!

    tobenut85on June 11, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hey everyone, DON'T look at tobenut's comments. 'Cause he's wrong. Forty lashes.

    mimicryon May 08, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    haha youre mean mimicry!! :) :P everybody is entitled to their own opinion. werd up. oh yeah, this song is probably my least favorite by pedro..meh. alright peace out

    churchclotheson May 10, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's one of my favourites, i love the heavy bass

    harmon April 08, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. I think all of David Bazan's songs are brilliant, to be honest.

    And yea, DON'T READ TOBENUT's COMMENTS!

    Seriously, you can take him as a "Christian Poet" and whatnot. But there's a reason he doesn't vouch for that.

    Just my opinion he writes about the ironies that are life, and religion. All religions in general, and life. If you look at his songs in a shallow manner, sure they may seem like "Christian Spin". But far from it.

    Satire has never been so welcome.

    MurphsLaw86on February 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. I think all of David Bazan's songs are brilliant, to be honest.

    And yea, DON'T READ TOBENUT's COMMENTS!

    Seriously, you can take him as a "Christian Poet" and whatnot. But there's a reason he doesn't vouch for that.

    Just my opinion he writes about the ironies that are life, and religion. All religions in general, and life. If you look at his songs in a shallow manner, sure they may seem like "Christian Spin". But far from it.

    Satire has never been so welcome.

    MurphsLaw86on February 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I really like the whole frame work of this song but I always feel very sad whilst and after hearing it, which I'm not sure if it good for me personally. its too depressing this song. Its so tender, a moment where this man is being honest about everything as it is and that's been put upon him. Its about pressures of having to be perfect and that everybody thinks he doesn't care but his first concern is 'the family name' the only people who will listen to him is a policemen rather than his family.

    The music is too sad but its very well constructed. I think you have to be sympathetic to enjoy music like this but you also have to have a part of you that enjoys sadness aswell.

    tigersroamfreeon February 05, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.