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Outpatient Lyrics

A little voice that's not quite your own.
Count backwards from ten.
Yellow jelly shot hard in vein.
I want to talk to you again.
"This is Jennings, your anesthetist."
"We think we'll go in through the mouth."
Wathc the lights go from head to toe.
Doped up and coasting down the hall.
Now I'm talking through my pen.
Do you read me? Am I bleeding?
Am I bleeding again?
Suddenly hear so clearly again.
Wake up screaming so far from home.
Incontinent off continent.
The tears are warm. The body's numb.
Get your coat, your ride is here.
Song Info
Submitted by
oofus On May 13, 2001
10 Meanings

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Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

Over the course of a long US and Europe tour, Blake had to have throat surgery in London. He was coughing up blood, and had to have polyps removed.

So this song is about this experience.

"A little voice that's not quite your own/Count backwards from ten./Yellow jelly shot hard in vein." -- When you're put under, the anesthesiologist tells you to start counting backward. You're usually asleep by seven or six.

"Wathc the lights go from head to toe. / Doped up and coasting down the hall."-- Being carted after the procedure to the recovery room.

"Now I'm talking through my pen. / Do you read me? Am I bleeding? Am I bleeding again?"-- Can't talk to people until your throat heals. So you have to communicate by writing what you want to say.

"Wake up screaming so far from home. / Incontinent off continent. / The tears are warm. The body's numb." -- The pain medication has worn off, and he's awake -- scared being so far from home in a hospital.

"Get your coat, your ride is here." You're recovered "enough". Now get the hell out, so another patient can have your bed!

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

Just a good example to why Blake's vein collapsed so many years ago.

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

Just a good example to why Blake's vein collapsed so many years ago.

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

then why are you looking at it pr0le? i really like this song....just like every other jawbreaker song!

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

emo doesn't have to be an insult.

this song is pure fucking catharsis. i listen to this song so loud. i like the start/stop thing at the beginning.

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

For one thing, there's never anything wrong with "emo." For another, this is about Blake's throat surgery.

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

Wow, I had no idea it was about throat surgery. Not sure what I thought it was about, maybe being lost for words or a one-night stand. Just goes to show that you can miss out on the meaning of lyrics by not taking them literally.

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

the one lyric yellow jelly shot hard in vein does make it sound a lot like an overdose song

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

i think its important to realize that in most schwarzenbach songs there are both literal and figurative meanings. thats whhat makes his songs so incredible. they have different layers of meaning. i also think its important to note that in interviews blake seems to over simplify the meanings of his songs to the bemusement of the interviewer

Cover art for Outpatient lyrics by Jawbreaker

fuck, this is emo

 
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