Young the Giant: Cough Syrup Meaning
Covered By: Glee Cast
Cough Syrup Lyrics
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control.
These fishes in the sea they're staring at me oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
A wet world aches for a beat of a drum.
Oh.
If I could find a way to see this...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Actually, the band already explained what the song is about. It's about the struggle of wanting to break out of the norm of their town and make it into the big time."Lifes to short to even care at all" could possibly be talking about how we have so little time on earth why not take risks? That's what Sameer (lead singer) did anyways. He left Stanford to pursue his dream on the big stage.
So It's not about drugs people. As much as you want it to be, it's not. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This song can be interpreted in many ways. But after hearing this song on Glee it changed my view point because it was sung during a scene where someone was commiting suicide. The song talks about running away & waiting for cough syrup to come down. So its safe to assume the person wants an easy way out. But hey this is just my opinion :]
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3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:"a wet world aches for a beat of a drum" is my favourite quote from any song ever. I take it to mean you always want what you cant have (you cant play drums underwater)
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So, yeah I read what the artist meant when they wrote the song and 100% I get it. However, I can see it from an alcoholics stand point. "If I could see this straight, I'd run away" That's what they do when reality hits them.
Also "losing my mind, losing control" That too is what happens when a real alcoholic decides to take a drink.
I also like the line,.. "so I run to the things they said could restore me.." Alcoholics will look for every cure besides not drinking. They also have delusions of grandeur, which leads to this line,..."..To some fortune that I should have found by now."
Again, that's just what it means to me,.. there are other metaphors that hit me as relating to alcoholism.
Like I said I totally get what the band was referring to when they wrote this song.
And isn't that the beauty of music?
We relate to different songs in different ways and those things are beautiful, tragic, horrific, satisfying, peacefull,... All those things.
I love this song and have since the first day I heard it. -
So here is my interpretation...
I lived in Michigan and hated my life. So I decided to move to San Diego, CA where I could double my income.
I really felt that making a big change would make my life better, but in the end my life still sucks.
I think this song is 100% about this.
-----------------------------
(Life in Michigan)
Life's too short to even care at all, oh
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control, oh oh
(San Diego calls to me)
These fishes in the sea they're staring at me oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
A wet world aches for a beat of a drum
Oh
(I ran to San Diego to become rich)
If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I, I should have found by now
(The cough syrup represents the antidote or cure to your life sucking, you keep trying and searching for something to make things better)
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down, come down.
(The despair)
Life's too short to even care at all, oh, oh
I'm coming up now, coming up now out of the blue, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
These zombies in the park they're looking for my heart, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
A dark world aches for a splash of the sun, oh, oh
If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I, I should have found by now
And so I run now to the things they said could restore me
Restore life the way it should be
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down
Life's too short to even care at all, oh, oh
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control
If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I, I should have found by now
So I run now to the things they said could restore me
Restore life the way it should be
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down
One more spoon of cough syrup now, whoa. -
"I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down, come down"
I think this is referring to how when a mother gives her child cough syrup to make them drowsy and make them more more compliant. Except in this case hes saying it in the sense that he wants so bad to break from the norm of what society expects of him with regard to taking a normal career path and settling down. So in order for him to cope he has to take his cough syrup (Metaphorically speaking) so that he can come to terms with the reality that him living his dream of making it big in the music industry might never happen.
the whole thing is a metaphor. It has nothing to do with drugs at all.
"These zombies in the park they're looking for my heart oh oh oh oh A dark world aches for a splash of the sun oh oh"
This is referring to the expectations people hold him to and his need to break away from that.
I agree that having taken drugs in the past does not make you unqualified to interpret a song but I also think an "English degree" should make you more open to symbolism. this song is way more beautiful when you remove the simple idea/theory that it literally has anything to do with drugs. the man is a freaking poet and you are reducing everything he has to say to merely some dude wanting to commit suicide or hooked on drugs.
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I saw the ‘Glee’ version, and I think it’s about suicide and depression. ‘Life’s too short to even care at all’ means either that life’s too short to care about if you die or life’s too short to care if you get hurt. ‘I’m losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control’ means that all these thoughts are spinning around in your head and it’s too much to take. ‘A wet world aches for a beat of a drum’ and ‘a dark world aches for a splash of the sun’ means that you want hope and joy, but you don’t know how to get it because of your depression. ‘I’m waiting for this cough syrup to come down’ means that you’re committing suicide and you’re waiting for the cough syrup to take effect. ‘If I could find a way to see this straight I’d run away to some fortune that I should’ve found by now’ means that if you could think and see the world clearly without the depression you’d go and do something great with your life, like go to college or get your dream job. You should’ve found that fortune already, but you can’t because of the depression. ‘These fishes in the sea they’re staring at me’ means people are staring at you because they don’t like you or think you’re weird or something. ‘These zombies in the park they’re looking for my heart’ means that people are bullying you (I think they’re staring and bullying because you’re gay. I only think that because I saw the ‘Glee’ version). ‘I’m coming up now coming up now out of the blue’ I think means that in that moment out of the blue you decided to kill yourself. ‘And so I run now to the things that said could restore me, restore life the way it should be’ could have two meanings. Either you try to find something to help with your depression, or it’s a sarcastic line about people saying you should go to conversion therapy for being gay. ‘The way it should be’ is both the sarcastic part and what some homophobic people think, that the only way to live is to be straight. (Just saying I’m not homophobic)
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I believe that this song is about DXM addiction. I have personally been addicted to DXM (Dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in cough syrup).
When he is talking about how "life's too short to even care at all," it reminds me of my attitude toward life and my inhibitions. And then not to mention "Losing my mind, losing control".
When he sings about fishes staring at him and zombies in the park, it reminds me of the hallucinations and delusions one may have while tripping on DXM.
He also sings "I'm coming up now, coming up now" (as in, the comeup of DXM, if you guys didn't know that's the name for it beginning to kick in), and "Im waiting for this cough syrup to come down" (as if he is waiting to come down from the high).
I genuinely really connect this song to my experiences with DXM :) -
"Maybe if you people used fewer drugs you could properly enjoy the music."
Insulting others doesn't make you right.
The lyrics and song make me think of DXM.
The reference to the zombies in the park make me think of how other people don't seem real while on dissociatives. The reference to trying to see people straight reminds me of double vision while on such drugs.
You have no right to say that I can't "properly enjoy" music. My interpretation is based on my experiences and knowledge. I have a degree in English and the fact I've read T.S. Elliot's The Wasteland doesn't make any more (or less) qualified to interpret the song. -
I agree, this song seems to be about a person with depression and suicidal tendencies. They end the song right after the third repetition of taking the cough syrup. This could be attempted suicide. He succeeded because the people hurting him (zombies, fish) wouldn’t let him regain control of his life.
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Its about escaping suburbia, or society. The band actually spoke about it. The cough syrup is more a metaphor for falling in line with society.
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My interpretation follows the ones before me, that it follows someone overdosing on cough syrup, or hoping it can take them away from the pains reality is throwing at them, and the people in their life that is dragging them down.
I think that these are the thoughts of a person who is trying to OD on cough syrup or some drug, and they are considering life.
"Life's too short to even care at all, I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control. These fishes in the sea, they're staring at me. A wet world aches for the beat of a drum."
I think in these first lines, it is explaining how they feel that life's short, so why care when you die. They feel like everything in their life is going out of control, and there isn't anything they can do. People are looking at them, and judging them, and they just want at least a little bit of good in their life, which is seemingly impossible in they're eyes. This follows the same theme with
"These zombies in the park, they're looking for my heart. A dark world aches for a splash of the sun."
Where people are trying to brake them, and tear them down, but they want some hope to keep going on.
"If I could find a way, to see this straight I'd run away. So some fortune that I would have found by now. I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down. Come down."
They want to find a way to feel good again, to no longer suffer, and they are wondering why they hadn't found it by now. So they are waiting for the cough syrup to take effect. Begging it to.
The next time those lyrics come again, there is the added part of:
"And so I run now to the things they said could restore me. Restore life the way it could be. I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down."
Either they were told it would help them, or you could take it as people told them to kill them-self, that it would make life a better place if they weren't in it, so they are going to follow their advice to make it so.
When "Life's too short to even care at all. I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control," is repeated, it's them emphasizing that all these thoughts are making them lose their mind.
Then, the chorus repeats, which is them once again emphasizing how they wish something good could have happened already so that they wouldn't have suffered so much. Then, that they are going to make life a better place by leaving it.
The song ends with
"One more spoon of cough syrup now."
"One more spoon of cough syrup now."
What they originally took isn't working fast enough, so they are going to take more and more and go through this process again until it finally works and they are finally leaving life behind. -
hes trying to take risks "lifes too short to even care at all" and everyoe is judjing him @the fishes in the sea are staring at me" and he wants the imposible with "a wet world aches for a beat of a drum" cuz u cant play a drum underwater. THe cough syrup is about forgetting the pain other people have brought to him, so he will get happy again. Thats what i think, may not be right. ;) <3
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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DXM? The lyrics and visuals in the video actually remind me of a DXM trip.
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Honestly, I think it's about suicide. "Life's too short to even care at all" life isn't important enough to live "loosing control" he's not in control of his life anymore the "fishes in the sea" and the "zombies in the park" are the people that are causing him pain. "A wet world aches for a beat of a drum" and "a dark world aches for a splash of a sun" means that he's just waiting for something to make his life better. He's obviously saying that he should have found something to live for by now but he hasn't, so he's going to kill himself by overdosing with cough syrup.
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To me, this song is a portayal of someone who is suffering from clinical depression.
and the "cough syrup" he takes is his antidepressant. Severe depression can derail
one's life to a point where he can't work, sleep, concentrate, and make them consider
suicide
"wet world aches for the beat of a drum..."
In addition to losing interest in life,he is thinking of how good life would have
been if only he could escape the depression.
If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I,
I should have found by now
So hes takes all the remedies and antidepressionats (cough syrup) in hopes of resuming
a normal life.
And so I run now to the things
they said could restore me
Restore life the way it should be
I'm waiting for this cough syrup
to come down
Unfortunately antidepressants, like cough syrup have to be repeatedly taken
to feel any affect and it only relieves symptoms but is not a cure. Antidepressants are
the same and there are so many of them to choose from and they are notoriously slow
in lifting you out of clinical depression. What can you do ? But continue popping
them till you notice the positive affects,
I'm waiting for this cough syrup
to come down
One more spoon of cough syrup now, whoa
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