Last night I swallowed liquor and a lighter
And this morning I threw up fire
But it's nothing new
I've been piecing it together and it's got something to do

With every look thrown like a knife across a crowded room
And every slow and quiet car ride I spent drinking in the backseat
Every stupid melody to every stupid song,
And every stupid word that everybody's hanging on

What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess

Last night I fell asleep next to a liar
And I woke up with a shiner
And it's all that I remember from a night spent lying on my back with a view
Of a stone white ceiling and the back of your head

And this quiet dark bed feels like the middle of nowhere
And we beat each other up just like we always do
When I'm talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you

What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess

Call homicide, take the case to court
'Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor

They hung her from the bridge on Monday
The gathering turned to a mob out on the lawn
They dropped her body in the river
School and work returned to normal before long
(before long... and no one will mention any of this again)

Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess

Call homicide, take the case to court
Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor



Lyrics submitted by BrandNew1208, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 03:02

"Sudden Death in Carolina" as written by Jesse Lacey, Brian Lane, Garrett Tierney, Vincent Accardi

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Sudden Death in Carolina song meanings
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43 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I thought it was
    he slept with a girl who lied about her age
    "Last night I fell asleep next to a liar"

    but was really underage
    "What difference does this difference in age make? "

    and her parents or someone found out and reported him.
    "Call 911, I'm already dead but
    someone should be caught and held responsible
    for this bloody mess "

    it or something like that.
    Flag bloobon August 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok so the line "Last night I fell asleep next to a liar" i think he's talking about his ex girlfriend who cheated on him with the guy from Taking Back Sunday then i think when he says "we beat each other up just like we always do" and "When I'm talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you" hes talking about the his friend from Tacking Back Sunday who slept with said girlfriend. and the line "and I woke up with a shiner" goes with the line "we beat each other up just like we always do" meaning they had a falling out after he found out about it.
    and the line "And this quiet dark bed feels like the middle of nowhere" hes talking about being alone is like being in the middle of nowhere

    when he says "I've been piecing it together and it's got something to do
    with every look thrown like a knife across a crowded room
    And every slow and quiet car ride I spent drinking in the backseat
    Every stupid melody to every stupid song,
    and every stupid word that everybody's hanging on"
    i think hes saying that everbody knows what happend and they wont let it go and he just wishes they would.

    "I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick." i think hes saying he been through this before and he knows whats going to happen, and because of that the pain was more of a guick jab than a slower one.

    "Call 911, I'm already dead but
    someone should be caught and held responsible
    for this bloody mess" i think hes saying just because its over and done with doesnt mean he still cant be angry at them both for betraying him and that they shouldnt pretend it didnt happen
    .
    "Call homicide, take the case to court
    Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
    I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor" when hes refering to her lips as a loaded gun i think hes saying she has all the lies ready to use incase she needs them

    "They hung her from the bridge on Monday
    The gathering turned to a mob out on the lawn
    They dropped her body in the river
    School and work returned to normal before long
    (before long... and no one will mention any of this again)" i think here hes saying after everything all her lies have been exposed and soon everthing will just be forgotten.


    i could be completely off but thats how i see it. =)
    Flag moksha13on June 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i haven't read many of the other meanings people posted so bare with me. Like a lot of the songs by brand new offa the weapon album, is about a girl. In the first verse, i think hes describing seeing this girl hes been on and off with and the looks thrown like "knives" could mean that these sharp looks of either awkwardness or animosity -- and in the second verse, he wakes up next to her after a drunken night. And in the song hes telling how they end up "beating each other up" when they wake up and they fight and whatnot but on the side, they really do want each other and whats why they always end up coming back to each other. and the chorus --- .. I see him saying that this relationship is killing him .. or he animostity between him and his girl is killing him, and that her lips are undeniable and that when ever they do kiss and get together and fuck or whatev -- they end up fighting and messing it all up again.

    these are just my thoughts. -- i've been listning to bn for years and i've had shitty relationships hah.
    Flag leadonyourcheston July 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song to me always sounded like a drunk driving accident (it could be because the first couple of times i listened to it, I was learning how to drive).

    especially the chorus (call 911, i'm already dead but someone should be caught and help responsible for this bloody mess. call homicide, take the case to court) i thought that he was angry at the other person for driving drunk, (he does show anger in this album a lot. notably seventy times seven and jude law)

    as for the second verse, i thought he was hung over, and the "back of your head" was something like she was either ignoring him, or they were both too buzzed/ drunk, to really have a "face to face" conversation.

    and that whole bridge part seemed like it was the car after the accident.

    I don't know though, that was always my interpretation of the song, since Brand New would be a band to write songs other then girls and breaking up
    Flag alienhominid51on January 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:yo this song is def about a guy breaking up with a girl, but she never really lets him, ya know?
    like they broke up but she still chills and hangs around him even when he tries to get with someone else she always ends up ruining it and they get back together. he is sick of her as a girlfriend but is helpless. the relationship sucks and every time they get back and do the whole break up thangg he is just digging himself deeper, he is vitually dead!and he tried dating a girl younger and just realized how fucked he was with his first girlfriend who doesn;t leave him alone!

    thats not it, but it popped into my mind, all the other interpretations are wicked good too! you guys rule! brand new rules!
    Flag maryjane420on December 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oh yah and TakingBackFitch that was seriously the funniest comment i've read on here.

    You got it down to a T, man

    hahahahahaha
    Flag CORPSErawron September 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hey IstillbuyCD's, you're a genius. I was waiting for someone to mention that and no one did untill almost the last comment. I'm disappointed. Its not a difference in age between the two in the relationships, although i can understand how people could see that. Its saying that even though he's older, his relationships are just like they were when he was a teen.

    He knows it isn't gonna last and he just wants it to be over already.

    This whole paragraph drives me crazy:

    Last night I fell asleep next to a liar
    and I woke up with a shiner
    And it's all that I remember from a night spent lying on my back with a view
    of a stone white ceiling and the back of your head
    And this quiet dark bed feels like the middle of nowhere
    And we beat each other up just like we always do
    When I'm talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you


    Any views on it? I want to hear someone's point of view because its confusing. Is the relationship all mindless sex?
    Flag CORPSErawron September 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song, like much of Sic Transit Gloria, was possibly inspired by the film Rushmore.
    The movie is about a fifteen-year-old student who has a crush on his teacher, who is in love with his friend, a rich tycoon (hence "what difference does this difference in age make/she'll kill me quick")
    I watched parts of the movie yesterday and it just kept reminding me of this song over and over again, using terms like "shiner" (there's a scene where the main character literally wakes up with a shiner) and I know Jesse most likely is a fan of the film (a line in the fim goes "Sic transit gloria. Glory fades.")
    I don't think the whole song is based on it, it's probably about some personal experiences of Jesse's or Brandon's, but I think there are at least some subtle references.
    Flag Arteron March 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song's about a bad split in a relationship. He knows it's coming, he's "already dead". But I'm guessing that maybe in the end he dumped her - given the fact that in the end she's the one whose body's been dropped in the river. Either that or when they split up everyone decided it was her fault and "hung her from the bridge" a little like they were crucifying her or whatever.

    Also, I've always thought the line "What difference does this difference in age make? I know how it ends, she'll kill me quick" means that no matter how old you are or how many relationships you've been in it always ends the same way.
    Flag istillbuyCDson February 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Last night I swallowed liquor and a lighter
    and this morning I threw up fire
    But it's nothing new
    I've been piecing it together and it's got something to do
    with every look thrown like a knife across a crowded room
    And every slow and quiet car ride I spent drinking in the backseat
    Every stupid melody to every stupid song,
    and every stupid word that everybody's hanging on"

    Getting what you ask for. Everytime, and knowing it. Someone who is very self aware but has little motivation to change their ways. Someone's gonna get hurt and it's most likely gonna be you. You get what you ask for. We're wasting our time.

    "Call homicide, take the case to court
    Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
    I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor"

    You know how it ends. Prepare for the inevitable. You know how she is and you know what's gonna happen.

    It's like when you're drunk, you know? But that weird weird stage of drunkeness. Sober enough to know that what you're doing is a dumb ass thing to do and that you probably just screwed yourself into the ground, but way too drunk to care.
    Flag PrettySinson December 25, 2006   Link

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