Lyrics for Billy as interpreted by oofus

Billy Lyrics
I can recall the warm youth of a summer day, yeah:
The sweetest lemonade, the darkest game arcade,
And had a yearning in the corner of his mind.
It moved him secretly. It moved him powerfully.
But prescience was lacking and the present was not all
And his aptitudes were carelessly wasted.
And challenging life with the abandon of a fool,
He squandered the hours of his day.
Then darkness and disorder slapped him sharply in the face, yeah.
It hit him like a friend, struck something deep within.
He couldn't break the chain of slow decay that seemed to drag him
Just like a fatal tie toward the other side.
And was a lunatic, just barking at the moon,
And his brain was totally wasted.
He then exchanged his friends for a needle and a spoon
And he threw his future away.
Bolt the door and throw away the key.
Your dim reflection is all that you can see.
So where is the justice when no one is at fault
And a human life is tragically wasted?
How fragile is the flame that burns within us all
To light each passing day?

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  • 13 Comments
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DonGrom
01-13-2002

Rated 0 
Billy is Brett.

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1 Reply
mindless62
04-26-2002

Rated 0 
i dont think so, i think its about a friend he lost to drugs ("needle and a spoon"). kind of an anti-drug song.

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soowt
07-02-2002

Rated 0 
no, billy is brett.
this song is amazing. musically it may not be the best bad religion song, but there is real emotion in it, because they are singing about brett himself.

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Chipper1048
07-03-2002

Rated 0 
no, this is about a friend. brett has said so himself many times.

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weaselfierce
08-05-2002

Rated 0 
Its a personal song at least.

I like it a lot, since one of my friends nearly went into drug addiction.
And it reflects the descent into decay well

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Madcappunk
08-27-2002

Rated 0 
I'm not sure who its about. It is very good though, and it seems a bit different than all their other songs...I'm not sure why...

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anthropogentric
03-05-2003

Rated 0 
Billy is Brett. He is an ex-crack addict and the song it is deliberately autobiographical.

Probably the best song Brett ever wrote.

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wrinkledPhole
04-16-2003

Rated 0 
Chipper1048, if you are going make a comment about then at least know what you are talking about. Billy is Brett, and no, Brett has not said "no it isnt about me" many times.

And anthropogentric absolutely right, in fact its quoted information from "the answer".(haha, we even have evidence to back up our claim). So to everyone who wants to argue go to this website. http://thebrpage.tierranet.com/theanswer/index.html

If you want to interpret it differently, by all means go ahead, but dont tell me its not about Brett b/c it is.

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maxben
05-20-2007

Rated 0 
What is wrong with you people? I can't even believe you are squabbling like children about WHO it is about. Does that matter? Almost all pieces of art are based on personal experiences, but the experience is not the point! The point is the question and the lesson.

As was said, this is about a drug addict who fucked up and lost everything. But I'd like to direct your eyes to the bottom part.

"So where is the justice when no one is at fault
And a human life is tragically wasted?
How fragile is the flame that burns within us all
To light each passing day?"

The drug addict NEVER makes it out of his addiction. So in this song it is questioned the strength of people versus the strength of addiction and temptation. And unlike when someone harms another where it is easy to see who is at fault, what happens when someone hurts themselves? Was he weak? Did his friends' fail him? Society?

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aimless_
07-23-2007

Rated 0 
i think the key lines are:

And had a yearning in the corner of his mind.
It moved him secretly. It moved him powerfully.

it's about a person who had lots of potentials but threw them away, lost them to his yearning which could be a strong creative but turned into an even stronger destructive force.

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aimless_
07-23-2007

Rated 0 
i think the key lines are:

And had a yearning in the corner of his mind.
It moved him secretly. It moved him powerfully.

it's about a person who had lots of potentials but threw them away, lost them to his yearning which could be a strong creative but turned into an even stronger destructive force.

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DJgif
05-08-2009

Rated 0 
In a weird way I think I can relate to this. It is really good.

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DeeEl1
09-09-2009

Rated 0 
Well, would Brett refer to himself as someone whose, "mind was totally wasted?"

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