I've noticed some conflict on the comments as to whether it's a happy song. I think the key is this in these lines: "My slow descent / Into alcohol, it went / Something like this song". Alcoholism is a sad, destructive disorder, but not everyone's predisposed to it, and you don't know whether you are until you find yourself hooked. When you see a bunch of 20-somethings partying, there's always this underlying darkness where yeah, they're drinking to have fun right now, but for at least one of them, the pastime could develop into something very dangerous.
Furthermore, we tend to glorify alcoholism (as long as we don't call it that). From the outside, it's easy to see the libertine lifestyle, guys like Jim Morrison and Hunter Thompson and all the other famous artists who were known to do a lot of drugs, and see it as something desirable, because from the outside, you don't see the damage it does, because it isn't real to you. I think that's what Carl means by "it went / To my head, where I really need it / With the views that remain untreated". This goes back to the previous track on the album, where Carl sings "And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills / Then you see how recklessly the pages got filled", about how the struggles that are evident in most great weren't aren't merely sources of inspirations for the artists -- they're very really and sometimes fatal.
I may be overanalyzing, since most of the Pornographers (with the possible of Case) never focused too much on writing comprehensible lyrics, but I think it is worth noting how the tension between the music and the song's content reflects the tension inherent in the use of alcohol.
This is one of the best songs about alcoholism I've ever heard. The descent into alcoholism is slow, and gradual. And this song captures what it feels like to slip into its grip.
This is one of the best songs about alcoholism I've ever heard. The descent into alcoholism is slow, and gradual. And this song captures what it feels like to slip into its grip.
I've noticed some conflict on the comments as to whether it's a happy song. I think the key is this in these lines: "My slow descent / Into alcohol, it went / Something like this song". Alcoholism is a sad, destructive disorder, but not everyone's predisposed to it, and you don't know whether you are until you find yourself hooked. When you see a bunch of 20-somethings partying, there's always this underlying darkness where yeah, they're drinking to have fun right now, but for at least one of them, the pastime could develop into something very dangerous.
Furthermore, we tend to glorify alcoholism (as long as we don't call it that). From the outside, it's easy to see the libertine lifestyle, guys like Jim Morrison and Hunter Thompson and all the other famous artists who were known to do a lot of drugs, and see it as something desirable, because from the outside, you don't see the damage it does, because it isn't real to you. I think that's what Carl means by "it went / To my head, where I really need it / With the views that remain untreated". This goes back to the previous track on the album, where Carl sings "And when you see the bruises on my legs from kicking pills / Then you see how recklessly the pages got filled", about how the struggles that are evident in most great weren't aren't merely sources of inspirations for the artists -- they're very really and sometimes fatal.
I may be overanalyzing, since most of the Pornographers (with the possible of Case) never focused too much on writing comprehensible lyrics, but I think it is worth noting how the tension between the music and the song's content reflects the tension inherent in the use of alcohol.
This is one of the best songs about alcoholism I've ever heard. The descent into alcoholism is slow, and gradual. And this song captures what it feels like to slip into its grip.
This is one of the best songs about alcoholism I've ever heard. The descent into alcoholism is slow, and gradual. And this song captures what it feels like to slip into its grip.