Bloody Mary (A Note on Apathy)

General CommentI think this song is about a vampire.
"Back against the beast I went "
beast = vampire
"Here comes the sun again…(to see me through)" she had to leave or she'd die from the sun.
"On and on she takes me from you, my love"
slowly draining him from life
"Happily I leave her fed"
she fed on his blood


Makes sense to me....

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General Commentwow, i never thought about that....

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General Commentwow indeed, NO idea where vampire came from, but I'll tell you what I got. There is three people involved in this song, female 1 female 2 and male. The male is going out with, married to, in some kind of relationship with female 1. Though he doesn't love her. He is actually in love with female 2, though for one reason or another he can't leave female 1 to be with her. My reasoning is in the beginning he is with female 1, and she recommends that he stay the night with her, bad weather I'm guessing and he can't leave. Take this pillow for your head, as in lay down, and ill take you, you see when a boy loves a girl and...you get where I'm going. Back against the beast has one of two meanings, NONE have to do with vampires. In many forms of literature back against the beast is the connatation for sex, or it could be to go up against something you would rather not want to. I'm going with the first one given the whole "and Ill take you" thing. They finish their business and the sun see's him through to the morning, letting him leave to work, perhaps where female 2 is. Let me translate the chorus in terms we have already set "On and on female 1 takes male, from female 2". Happily I leave her fed, he pleased her enough, (this is all in the same night). The whole sun thing again and leave with the chorus. That is how I got my idea, where vampires came from I haven't the slightest clue. Though you are up to believe whatever you want.

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General CommentVampires is a good way to think about it...i didnt see that one coming but it sure does fit....isnt the song from America town?....yeah I'm right...and all the tracts are supposed to be him going through grade-a america country and observing...or so ive been told...so it probaly not about vampires.....whats up with that one lyric, was i the only one that caught that? "she rakes me from you"....i think john is being quite the word-smith here....he probaly just meant pulling me from you or something...but mabye he got around using the word "rape".... and just says the lyric is rake but says rape...two words are awfully close....i mean in the same cd he has "bullshit" so mabye not...i wonder though...

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General Commentno not vampires- john i belive has said this is about prostitution

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General CommentI do think this is about prositution, or at least an affair. The Man sleeps with a women, and feels bad about it, but counts on the sun rising each day, to make him better. He swears on each new day that he won't go back and have an affair or something, but each and every time he breaks his promise only to state it again. Futile isn't it?

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General CommentHa, vampires...the only thing I could get from that is a metaphore on how some relationships/situations can be draining. Probably "back against the beast" means he has a guilty conscious (he knows what he's doing is bad) but he can't help it. He's cheating on his wife and knows its wrong, but he just wants to get some pleasure. He loves his wife though and doesn't want to break his wife's heart by leaving her. As the song progresses, we find its kinda a repetitive loop. He keeps on saying he will stop cheating but then he doesn't. He keeps going "back against the beast, the delemma he's facing. Its a "note on apathy" because he always comes to the conclusion that he doesn't care enough about his wife to stop. His mistress is "raking" him away from his wife because she is giving him what he needs and wants. "all of my dreams for you to follow"

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General CommentFor me, this song is obviously about alcoholism. In my head, I'm imagining a woman and man in a relationship; the woman is sadly and helplessly watching this man fall apart from his addiction.

~Bloody Mary is an alcoholic drink; the alcohol is intruding upon the relationship as if another woman was involved
~"Take this pillow for your head, and I'll take you home"; the woman offers to drive the man home because he is drunk
~"Back against the beast I went"; the man is trying to kick the addiction, the "beast"
~"On and on she takes me from you"; the alcohol tempts the man away from the woman and it's just a continuous cycle that he can't escape from
~"My love"; refers to the woman
~"Tonight I swear, I swear on tomorrow"; the man promises to change his lifestyle and tomorrow he will be free from it
~"Here comes the sun again to see me through"; the man keeps getting drunk and waking to the sun again and again....he can't get out of the cycle

Five for Fighting is making a statement about alcoholism, a lifestyle that is accepted and widespread in America. Work hard, drink hard. I'd love to make a mini-movie using this song. I can see it playing in my head, word for word. It's one of Five for Fighting's lesser known songs but it's soooo good.

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General CommentMy problem with the vampire theory is that 'Here comes the sun again (to see me through)' sounds to me like the sun is helping him get through. So it seems like that doesn't work.

I'm leaning towards addiction of some kind...alcohol, drugs, etc. It makes more sense cohesively. It sounds to me like his addiction is getting in the way of his relationship with his girl.

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