Days Before You Came

Isn't it strange to think about a man who finds love and tells her about his depressing life without her and all the drugs he took, and instead of making better choices now, he wants her to follow him a downhill path.

He's very selfish because he can't stop taking drugs. He rather destroys her only to have someone in his life. Not caring about her at all.

I'd like to address this song directly to Placebo -

Days before you came = freezing cold and empty :)

I'm not saying the drug use interpretations are wrong, but I think there is more to this song. And just because Molko himself said it's about x doesn't mean there aren't other layers of meaning. I think the song is also about 'end times' / final judgement.

Days before you came = The last days / the end times. Towns that change their name / and a horn of plenty = the passage of history / either a cornucopia (related to Dionysian orgiastic cults) or the trumpets that sound in end times.

Even crack cocaine couldn't start to hide me = cocaine gives confidence, so even that wouldn't be enough to 'protect him' from what's coming (the final judgement)

Won't you join me now / baby's looking torn and frayed / join the masquerade. Yes - I get the drug reference but it can also mean generally that 'baby' is f'd up - it's too late to repent so follow me down into hell. Join the masquerade (in the sense of the Dionysian festival)

It always seemed enticing / to be naked and profane / there is no denying = ie before the final judgement when the truth could be denied or rejected it was fun to flaunt the rules - profane is always the counterpart to sacred.

Days before you came / thunderbolts and lightning = A biblical event. Yes, the subsequent lines are clearly drug-related (tourniquet, brand new vein) but that doesn't necessarily mean that's the exclusive meaning. He's using drugs to 'hide from God'.

Didn't want you anyway - He's too proud to submit - he's taken a path of hedonism and indulgence and isn't willing to turn back. So he proclaims - well I don't want you anyway! And continues his march down into hell. "Join the Masquerade"

Whether you think my interpretation is worthwhile or not, the fact is that there are certain lines in this song that are clearly beyond drug symbolism.

Song about calming down your social life when you get into a relationship, only going back to that life and bringing your partner down to the same depths with you

to me its like fucking a person, but with no love or feeling. just completely cold sex- "Days before you came Freezing cold and empty".

Or it could be about herion.
"Even crack cocaine Couldn't start to hide me"

• some heroin users try to relieve junk sickness by using other drugs, but for this person other drugs (crack cociane) just arent hiding the withdrawl symptoms.

  "Baby's looking to get laid"

• not 'get laid' in a sexual way, but getting a fix...getting laid with herion.

"Each day a brand new vein Each tourniquet colliding"

• the herion user keeps trying to find more places to inject into.

I think that the title is essentially about waiting to score....and how if you have junk sickness, it seems like days until you can next get herion.

just an idea.

I love this song... SO much.

It seems like drugs, relationships etc.

Its a trend that most placebo songs are concidered to either be about drugs or relationships. Personally I don't think anyone can really contest that days before you came is about drugs.

'Days before you came Counting breaths inside me' ~ waiting for the next fix

'Not even crack cocaine Could start to hide me' ~ crack couldnt replace or hide the need for a fix of something else

'Won't you join me now Baby's looking to get laid ' ~ people looking to get the fix

'join the masquerade' ~ join the masses of people hiding intill they can relieve themselfs of their need

whether or not this is what they mean, i've always thought the lines "Days before you came, freezing cold and empty... counting breaths inside me" etc. meant that before he met this person, he was empty and every moment was just a second closer to death and didn't hold any meaning to him...this person gave his life substance and meaning...

it is about drugs and love...like a comparison between the two...brian said it himself... "didn't want you anyway"...like i never knew that i needed you so much but now that i have you, i can't let you go...works both for drugs and people