This song is pretty obviously enough I think about addiction, but although he's using a lot of reference to drugs. it's possible he may not be talking directly about drugs and instead could be using it as an extended metaphor for maybe addiction in general, or a specific kind of addiction, perhaps sexual or other, or of course it could just literally be about drugs; who knows but him. I put equal signs below just to put what I think he's likely referring to, but artists have their reasons you know for saying things vaguely and in code; as they say politics is using the truth to lie and art is using lies to tell the truth (not saying I think hes an addict, but rather he likely knows at least one person that is, coming from near a big city and all). It could even be something generally positive like singing or artistic expression which he could himself be addicted to and he's just talking badly about it because why not; I make fun of things I like and things I do all the time; like I said, who knows. Maybe he intended numerous different interpretations that people tend to come up with all at the same time; that wouldn't surprise me coming from an artist like him.
From the pills for the whispering (whispering=?)
Even children know you are
sickened by your own protest (protest=nausea as a bodily protest "heav[ing] at the drain", or else partly using the addiction as a way to "rebel" against one's current life situation in which case "sickened" would mean "feel guilty about")
and you make sure it will pass
And you made it your business
to fish the tumor out (=forced vomiting with fingers, or else confronting a problem, either the addiction itself or using the addiction to confront a different problem, such as some sort of sickness that makes it hard for you to ever feel good)
so you take and shake it, shake it (take=take the drug)
out of the ones you are (pull the addiction out from whatever other vices you already embody, or from different drug-influenced versions of yourself)
When the medicine you fancy has all run out
all good junkies go to heaven (sarcasm)
When the medicine you fancy has all run out
all good junkies go to heaven
You bottled divinity (=put the object of addiction on a pedestal)
for the thimble to drown in (thimble=very tiny cup, drowning=biting off way more than you can chew, possibly alcohol but maybe not)
It brightens the children's faces (possibly talking about an entertainer who performs on drugs, or something like a pornographic artist or martial artist who takes out their addiction in the performance itself)
when you water your old man (i think either, giving water/drugs to a withered, emaciated person much closer to death than before they started taking drugs, as something that will refresh them temporarily but obviously not bring them much further from death in reality, or else "old man" as in "father", like how it's said that the son will take on the vices of his father, especially things like alcoholism)
a sinner at gun point (gun=addiction)
you keep your monkey fed (obvious drug reference, again could be a double metaphor for a different type of addiction possibly)
and he takes and shake it, shake it (he=the drug/monkey/addiction or the dealer of it, shake it=shake the life out of)
out of the ones he hurt
oh and greed, different types of greed, possibly as another type of addiction he may or may not be talking about. practically any emotion or motivation can be an addiction come to think of it.
oh and greed, different types of greed, possibly as another type of addiction he may or may not be talking about. practically any emotion or motivation can be an addiction come to think of it.
This song is pretty obviously enough I think about addiction, but although he's using a lot of reference to drugs. it's possible he may not be talking directly about drugs and instead could be using it as an extended metaphor for maybe addiction in general, or a specific kind of addiction, perhaps sexual or other, or of course it could just literally be about drugs; who knows but him. I put equal signs below just to put what I think he's likely referring to, but artists have their reasons you know for saying things vaguely and in code; as they say politics is using the truth to lie and art is using lies to tell the truth (not saying I think hes an addict, but rather he likely knows at least one person that is, coming from near a big city and all). It could even be something generally positive like singing or artistic expression which he could himself be addicted to and he's just talking badly about it because why not; I make fun of things I like and things I do all the time; like I said, who knows. Maybe he intended numerous different interpretations that people tend to come up with all at the same time; that wouldn't surprise me coming from an artist like him.
From the pills for the whispering (whispering=?) Even children know you are sickened by your own protest (protest=nausea as a bodily protest "heav[ing] at the drain", or else partly using the addiction as a way to "rebel" against one's current life situation in which case "sickened" would mean "feel guilty about") and you make sure it will pass And you made it your business to fish the tumor out (=forced vomiting with fingers, or else confronting a problem, either the addiction itself or using the addiction to confront a different problem, such as some sort of sickness that makes it hard for you to ever feel good) so you take and shake it, shake it (take=take the drug) out of the ones you are (pull the addiction out from whatever other vices you already embody, or from different drug-influenced versions of yourself)
When the medicine you fancy has all run out all good junkies go to heaven (sarcasm) When the medicine you fancy has all run out all good junkies go to heaven
You bottled divinity (=put the object of addiction on a pedestal) for the thimble to drown in (thimble=very tiny cup, drowning=biting off way more than you can chew, possibly alcohol but maybe not) It brightens the children's faces (possibly talking about an entertainer who performs on drugs, or something like a pornographic artist or martial artist who takes out their addiction in the performance itself) when you water your old man (i think either, giving water/drugs to a withered, emaciated person much closer to death than before they started taking drugs, as something that will refresh them temporarily but obviously not bring them much further from death in reality, or else "old man" as in "father", like how it's said that the son will take on the vices of his father, especially things like alcoholism) a sinner at gun point (gun=addiction) you keep your monkey fed (obvious drug reference, again could be a double metaphor for a different type of addiction possibly) and he takes and shake it, shake it (he=the drug/monkey/addiction or the dealer of it, shake it=shake the life out of) out of the ones he hurt
oh and greed, different types of greed, possibly as another type of addiction he may or may not be talking about. practically any emotion or motivation can be an addiction come to think of it.
oh and greed, different types of greed, possibly as another type of addiction he may or may not be talking about. practically any emotion or motivation can be an addiction come to think of it.