Lyrics
I’d rather be stoned than stray
I prefer being under the influence of drugs rather than going off course
I’d rather be stray than in love
I'd rather be off course than be in love
‘Cause love is the crutch and the broken leg
Love is like a crutch for a broken leg, and it becomes a painful experience when it ends
A sober hell when it walks away
Sobriety feels like hell when love walks away
I’d rather be drunk than damaged
I prefer being intoxicated than being emotionally hurt
I’d rather my choice than yours
I prefer making my own choices over following yours
So cheers to the fear and the center stage
Cheers to facing fear and being in the spotlight, but the high diminishes after the performance
‘Cause after the encore the high begins to fade
After the excitement of the performance (encore), the euphoria begins to fade
And I know all the rules
Acknowledging awareness of all the rules
I don’t have one good excuse
Admitting a lack of good excuses for breaking those rules
Yours and mine in the rouge
Referring to shared experiences and mistakes (rouge possibly symbolizing makeup or disguise)
Here’s to the river of youth
Celebrating the tumultuous journey of youth
Say someone could break you picking
Imagining someone breaking through emotional barriers
The hurt locker there in your chest
Describing emotional pain as a "hurt locker" in the chest
But God is a cruel kid laughing
Portraying God as indifferent to human suffering
While the fool’s smoking his cigarette
Highlighting the irony of a fool smoking a cigarette while God seemingly laughs
‘Cause even on Salvation Mountain
Even in a seemingly divine place, it's challenging to find true grace
The closest to heaven you can get
Suggesting that Salvation Mountain is the closest to heaven one can experience
It’s tough to find grace in this world
Expressing the difficulty of finding grace in the world that lasts longer than one's endurance
To last any longer than a body could stand to give
Comparing the lasting of grace to the endurance of a body
And you know all the rules
Reiterating awareness of all the rules
You don’t have one good excuse
Reiterating the lack of good excuses for breaking those rules
Yours and mine in the rouge
Repeating the reference to shared experiences and mistakes in makeup (rouge)
Here’s to the river of youth
Repeating the celebration of the challenging yet vibrant journey of youth
Keep me here under your moon
Requesting to be kept in someone's comforting presence under the moon
Bare in a light that consumes
Being exposed in a consuming light, possibly seeking truth or clarity
Lost but I will be home soon
Feeling lost but expressing the anticipation of returning home soon
Here’s to the river of youth
Reiterating a toast to the challenging but formative river of youth
Here’s to the river of youth
Repeating the toast to the river of youth as a concluding affirmation
Comment