The Used: The Bird and the Worm Meaning

The Bird and the Worm Lyrics

He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack
His backpack is all that he knows
Shot down by strangers whose glances can cripple
the heart and devour the soul

All alone he turns to stone
While holding his breath half to death
Terrified...

1. anonymous

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   Aug 17th 2007 !⃝

   I agree with the addiction. Strangers who see him down the street, being high, give him heart crippling glances. "All alone he turns to stone" he uses the stuff when he's alone. "If he can't relieve it it grows" if he can't stop with his addiction, it wil become worse. Some sentences don't make sense to me, but it might be because I'm totally wrong. I just think this is what he means with the song.
2. anonymous

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   Aug 16th 2007 !⃝

   I believe it's the inner turmoil. It's the fight between the person's self. It's the question of: Who do I want to be?
3. anonymous

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   Aug 2nd 2007 !⃝

   You guys have some interesting interpretations, I'm not sure yet what I think the song is about but for the line "He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack his backpack is all that he knows", it could mean that he isolates himself, or everything he lives by is in his backpack, or he compresses his life into his backpack...something like that...
4. machs

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   Jul 6th 2007 !⃝

   This song is about Bert's experience when he went to see a podiatrist.
   
   "He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack
   His backpack is all that he knows
   Shot down by strangers whose glances can cripple
   The heart and devour the soul"
   
   This part is about him in the waiting room, carrying around his backpack, and the people waiting along with him are shooting menacing glances at him.
   
   "All alone he turns to stone
   While holding his breath half to death
   Terrified of what's inside to
   Save his life, he crawls like a worm from a bird
   (All alone) crawls like a worm from a bird"
   
   This part is about when Bert removes his socks, the odor crippling the podiatrist and figuratively "turning him to stone", and he's holding his breath, because the stench is just too much to bear. "Terrified of what's inside" is about the doctor being terrified of what might be lurking underneath Bert's toenails, and to save his own life, the podiatrist crawl away, "like a bird from a worm"
   
   Out of his mind the way pushes him whispering
   Must have been out of his mind
   Mid-day delusions are pushing this out of his head
   Maybe out of his mind
   Out of his mind
   
   This song is about how the awful aroma stemming from the feet drives the podiatrist insane, and makes him delusional. "If he can relive it, it grows" means that if Bert remembers the last time he trimmed his nails it will make his nails grow even more.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Jul 3rd 2007 !⃝

   I agree a little with you guys, but it's about a guy or a teen that has very no self confidence. He is afraid of what people think of him. And tries to hide himself and not to be bothered.
6. anonymous

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   Jul 1st 2007 !⃝

   Well as you may know, the narrator has a cutting addiction as you may have picked up through the song "I'm a fake." On the video clip of "The bird and the worm" towards the start, his wrist was bleeding so the whole song may be about trying to overcome the self-harming addiction. Through experience, I know the more you cut, the harder it is to stop. Therefore "terrified of whats inside, to save his life he crawls like a worm from a bird," metaphorically the addiction is more powerful than himself. Its just a speculation I'm not sure though...
7. anonymous

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   Jun 26th 2007 !⃝

   When he says "he wears his heart safely pinned to his backpack, his backpack is all that he knows" it reminds me of someone guarding their heart and keeping it shut up so no one can break it. And on "shot down by strangers whose glances can cripple the heart, and devour the soul" it's like he's saying that he can't open up his heart because he knows that he can't trust anyone. He's experienced a lot of heartbreak and he knows he can't trust a stranger.
   
   And in the song he also says "Out of his mind the weight pushes him whispering, must have been out of his mind. Midday delusions of pushing this out of his head, maybe out of his mind. All he knows if he can't relieve it it grows and so it goes." I'm not sure, but it sounds like he's trying to push away the thought that he can't trust those close to him, but the fear still remains.
   
   Then, when he says "All alone he turns to stone while holding his breath half to death. Terrified of what's inside, to save his life. He crawls like a worm from a bird." Since his worst fear is being broken he holds himself back and doesn't let himself get close to anyone. He remains to protect his heart.... I don't know if that's right or not... I'd like to know what 'the used' meant when they wrote this song.. but that's my best guess so far.
8. anonymous

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   Jun 11th 2007 !⃝

   I think that it's about hiding your feelings about the one you care about. When he sings "he wears he's heart safely pinned to he's backpack, his backpack is all that he nows" he must be singing about how the one he deeply cares about is the only thing on his mined and "he crawls like a worm from a bird" Is meaning that he finely gets the courage to express his feelings but there's always your mind of depressing thoughts dragging you down. I could go on but I think I wrote enough... FROM SSENKRAD
9. nameofthegame

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   May 11th 2007 !⃝

   This song isn't about abuse. It's about running from your problem when you nowe eventually, you'll have to face it. Hence the mataphor of a bird and a worm. A worm may crawl from one bird, but will always have others. Also, when he says 'he wears his heart pinned to his backpack, his backpack is all he nowes' he is talking about closing up the problem that you are denying and not noticing anything else but how to resolve the issue
10. anonymous

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    May 1st 2007 !⃝

    I think this song may have something to do with physical abuse, whether it be domestic or bullying or otherwise. I am just speculating. Does anyone know for sure???

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