What do you think War on Drugs means?

Barenaked Ladies: War on Drugs Meaning

Album cover for War on Drugs album cover

War on Drugs Lyrics

She likes to sleep with the radio on
So she can dream of her favorite song
The one that no one has ever sung since she was small

She'll never know that she made it up
She had a soul and we ate it up
Thrown away like a paper cup
The music...

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  1. anonymous
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     Feb 15th 2012 !⃝

    If you or someone close to you has struggled with mental illness such as depression, you will immediately recognize that these lyrics are about the pain of life when you are depressed. To someone who hasn't experienced depression, it does seem like it's about escaping life thru narcotic abuse.
    The man leaves probably in part because Dealing daily with someone with Depression often strains and breaks up relationships. It is very difficult for the "healthy" person to always deal with the ups and downs. Some people can stay, others can't handle it--people are different in what they are equipped to handle.
    I interpret The chorus to mean that depression is miserable, makes you lose the desire to live. After you treat it, you often feel "numb" because you were feeling sadness to such a great degree that "normal" sadness/happiness doesn't carry the same adrenaline-like debilitating power of your previous emotions.You don't know what happiness feels like because you have only known debilitating depression, you think that's just how the world feels.
    Finally, the last line probably refers to the author's own struggle with depression,perhaps it brought on clinical paranoia about medical treatment that fostered his resistance to taking any anti-depressants. And now that he's been treated, he can't believe he fought taking medicines that have helped him deal with depression and have a more functional life.

  2. SLAVE__TO_THE_MOSH
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     Nov 15th 2008 !⃝

    I thik its about a girl who is struggling in life. "He took her heart and she took his nameHe couldn't stand taking all the blame" He left her only with guilt and shame and then she cracked. I interpret that as she had a husband but she most likely did drugs and the husband didnt want any part of that, so left her. she thinks its hard being a grown up and try's to remember what it was like being a kid "She likes to sleep with the radio on So she can dream of her favorite song The one that no one has ever sung since she was small". but sadly she cant get the thought of how nobody seems to care about her."She had a soul and we ate it up". and since no one seems to care and its to much to deal with by herself, so she commits suiced.
    And in the last verse " Hard to admit I fought the war on drugs My hands were tied and the phone was bugged" sounds like one of the band members thought about suicied, but luckily was helped

  3. anonymous
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     Aug 8th 2007 !⃝

    Simply put: the song is about suicide.

  4. ben
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     Oct 14th 2005 !⃝

    The "War On Drugs" in this song refers to a personal battle with depression, not the Reagan-era anti-narcotics movement.

    He's battling demons inside himself with anti-depression drugs, but they in turn are making his life dull and not worth living, so he contemplates suicide.


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