Monday, March 2, 2009

Song Of The Week: "Kiss The Bottle" (Jawbreaker)

I was going to post this song closer to Valentine's Day, but it's simply too sad. One of the greatest songs about alcohol abuse (among other things), "Kiss The Bottle" tells the fragmented tale of two unfortunates that end up as only one unfortunate, drowning his/her regret in the almighty bottle. It's too beautiful for an atonal synopsis, so I'll let Schwarzenbach and company tell the rest...

"Kiss The Bottle"

It gets loneliest at night.
Down at the liquor store.
Beneath the neon sky.
Our moonlight.
Six A.M., the floor comes alive with lice.
The pan's dried up so tight.
With hardened beans.
We're hungry.

So I lean on you sometimes.
Just to see you're still there.
Your feet can't take the weight of one.
Much less two.
We hit concrete.

How were we born into this mess?

I know I painted you a prettier picture, baby.
But we were run out on a rail.
Fell from the wagon to the night train.

I kissed the bottle.

I should've been kissing you.
You wake up to an empty night.
With tears for two.

Cigarettes they fill the gaps.

In our empty days.
In our broken teeth.
We're jonesing.
Say mister, can you spare a dime?
Some change could make a change.
Could buy some time.
Some freedom.
Or an ear to hear my story.
It's all I've got.
My fictionbeats the hell out of my truth.
A palm upturned burnt blue.
Don't call it sunburn.

You've been shaking on the job.

Just one drink ahead of your past.
There's a white light coming up.
You draw the blinds hoping it'll pass.

I kissed the bottle.

I should've been kissing you.
You wake up to an empty night.
With tears for two.

I kissed the bottle.

I should've been kissing you.
You wake up to an empty night.
With tears for two.

I kissed the bottle.

I should've been kissing you.
You wake up to an empty night.
With tears for two.

6 comments:

Chairmaker said...

Sounds activate the neural centers of nostalgia : nothing brings me back to being 13 or so like hearing Jawbreaker.

Excellent lyrics on this song, but indeed perhaps not he most Valentines-appropriate.

HUANSOAHN said...

ahhh bringing back the memories....sweet memories

Anonymous said...

Having been the worst kind of drunk that one really hit home. Never really got into the band because I was too narrow-minded about this kind of "mellower" stuff. Glad you proved me wrong. Another great blog just did a post on them here, http://bloggedquartered.blogspot.com/2009/02/jawbreaker-rarities-1989-1996.html Thanx again Batguano

Anonymous said...

Damnit put the srong info on the wrong line on that last comment. brain damage.

Anonymous said...

those are the kind of lyrics Bukowski would write if he was in a punk band.

Anonymous said...

Cool story you got here. I'd like to read a bit more about this matter.
BTW check the design I've made myself A level escorts