This song appears to be about the life of a drug addict.
The first verse is a reference to PCP abuse. "Choking in clean underwear" is hinting at withdrawl. "Clean underwear" being an extended metaphor for being sober. PCP is a muscle relaxant, and loss of bladder control is among its symptoms. The bleeding tongue would be a further result of the seizures that have been reported from large doses of PCP. An eightball is slang for an eighth (an eighth of an ounce). PCP is often smoked with marijuana ("laced"), hence the line "eightball pounding in my lungs". He's smoking ("pounding") an eighth laced with PCP. Blurred vision and incoherent speech are also symptoms. The somewhat esoteric lines, "Ship to shore; I can't see the coastline anymore; I shouldn't be here; I thought I made that loud and clear" would lend support to an extended metaphor for blurred vision, incoherent speech, and hallucinations that the singer may be experiencing.
The chorus is a sort of stream-of-conciousness description of his past. The singer is the master of disaster (PCP addicts are known to be violent when they're high). A telecaster is a type of guitar. Playing the blues is the singer's clever way of saying, "smoking PCP". The line "When he had the heart to ask her" could be him remembering a time when he felt able to love. "Every note just shook the plaster" could be a metaphor for the passion he once felt in his life. In the next line, he leaves the past and sees himself as he is now -- "just a mean old bastard".
The next verse elaborates on the singer's drug abuse. "Chasing that old dragon down" is a classic reference to Puff the Magic Dragon. Playing the blues continues to refer to the singer's PCP addiction. "Sidewalks of white" is the singer describing the white PCP he smokes. "The LA sun beat out the night" is drawing a comparison between the confusion that both extreme light and extreme darkness can cause. On one side, you're blind at night. On the other side, you're equally blinded by the PCP you smoke, a common drug in LA at the time. The "Pounding brain; My last transmission down the drain" being a reference to the pounding headache and inability to remember his last thought (his last "transmission).
In the third verse, the singer refers to a debt that he owes. Perhaps it's one to society. Or maybe one to his family. But it sounds like a moral debt more than a material one. In the next few lines, the singer reveals that he's in pain:
"Hand me down my walking shoes
You're in my heart
Though we may be miles apart
There's my point
I'll see you in another joint"
The singer sank into drug abuse to numb his pain and bring his love back. He's longing for her, and manages to bring her back by smoking another joint (which is laced with PCP). Perhaps he's hoping to overdose so that he can finally be with her again, hence the request for his walking shoes.
This song appears to be about the life of a drug addict.
The first verse is a reference to PCP abuse. "Choking in clean underwear" is hinting at withdrawl. "Clean underwear" being an extended metaphor for being sober. PCP is a muscle relaxant, and loss of bladder control is among its symptoms. The bleeding tongue would be a further result of the seizures that have been reported from large doses of PCP. An eightball is slang for an eighth (an eighth of an ounce). PCP is often smoked with marijuana ("laced"), hence the line "eightball pounding in my lungs". He's smoking ("pounding") an eighth laced with PCP. Blurred vision and incoherent speech are also symptoms. The somewhat esoteric lines, "Ship to shore; I can't see the coastline anymore; I shouldn't be here; I thought I made that loud and clear" would lend support to an extended metaphor for blurred vision, incoherent speech, and hallucinations that the singer may be experiencing.
The chorus is a sort of stream-of-conciousness description of his past. The singer is the master of disaster (PCP addicts are known to be violent when they're high). A telecaster is a type of guitar. Playing the blues is the singer's clever way of saying, "smoking PCP". The line "When he had the heart to ask her" could be him remembering a time when he felt able to love. "Every note just shook the plaster" could be a metaphor for the passion he once felt in his life. In the next line, he leaves the past and sees himself as he is now -- "just a mean old bastard".
The next verse elaborates on the singer's drug abuse. "Chasing that old dragon down" is a classic reference to Puff the Magic Dragon. Playing the blues continues to refer to the singer's PCP addiction. "Sidewalks of white" is the singer describing the white PCP he smokes. "The LA sun beat out the night" is drawing a comparison between the confusion that both extreme light and extreme darkness can cause. On one side, you're blind at night. On the other side, you're equally blinded by the PCP you smoke, a common drug in LA at the time. The "Pounding brain; My last transmission down the drain" being a reference to the pounding headache and inability to remember his last thought (his last "transmission).
In the third verse, the singer refers to a debt that he owes. Perhaps it's one to society. Or maybe one to his family. But it sounds like a moral debt more than a material one. In the next few lines, the singer reveals that he's in pain:
"Hand me down my walking shoes You're in my heart Though we may be miles apart There's my point I'll see you in another joint"
The singer sank into drug abuse to numb his pain and bring his love back. He's longing for her, and manages to bring her back by smoking another joint (which is laced with PCP). Perhaps he's hoping to overdose so that he can finally be with her again, hence the request for his walking shoes.