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I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub
Before he had ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was
But my mother does
I heard her say it once
Padriac, my prince, I've all but died
From the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came
And the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and cry for me
It was six years ago today
That I laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure
Is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once
I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red
But I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic
Voiced carried, saying, "Im sorry"
On a day so gray it's black inside
Watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream
You just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored
Like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away
It has changed you
So tonight to compensate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
He drowned in a bathtub
Before he had ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was
But my mother does
I heard her say it once
Padriac, my prince, I've all but died
From the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came
And the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and cry for me
It was six years ago today
That I laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too
And so tonight to celebrate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure
Is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self absorbed are welcome
I saw the future once
I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red
But I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic
Voiced carried, saying, "Im sorry"
On a day so gray it's black inside
Watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream
You just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored
Like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away
It has changed you
So tonight to compensate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning
Lyrics submitted by PLANES
Track duration: 03:48
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I think this song is about conor oberst himself. I mean, if you think about it that is why he compares himself to his "brother" coughing and shaking in a bathtub. I can't say for certain, I will never know, but as I can best relate this to my own knowledge I would guess that this is a song about "rebirth" He explains it best. it's not complex to understand if you just listen to it as something not so foreign to yourself. Everybody is capable of feeling this way. He's using narrative to relate something more conceptual. It's simple, about being lost, confusion, self-loathing and all that jazz. Not to discount the song, it's genius, but relatable, At least in my opinion.
If this really happened to his baby brother he would probably not be so callous as to air these personal details of his family life. Think about it, would you???
Because it seems like everone can relate to parts of lyrics, i don't know about about this man, I wish I could be in his head for a day.
I wonder if he is frightened of death?
I love Conor!!!!!!
"And so tonight to celebrate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning"
and I think the death of the baby means the loss or death of innocence.
You just hope that someone sits with you"
Right up there with my favorite lines ever. Conor is an amazing songwriter, whether it is him as an artist or just art for the sake of art.
Because as far as I'm concerned, any other interpretation makes very little sense.
and yeah that interview in fevers&mirrors is fake, conor said so on an interview (a real one heh).
anyway, I think it's true.