Try to get some rest
Count backward from ten

You've gone too long without sleep
I know you won't rest stressed, so give up
Just give up
And don't say no to pills
Atavan won't kill

You said, "My life's like a bad movie"
I said, "That's true of all us"
You said, you said, "I've got to wake up so fucking early"
And I said, "Maybe the director's turned on us"

Outside the 5 sounds like the ocean
Relax, don't keep your eyes open
Don't look at the clock
Your brain will never stop

You said, "My life's like a bad movie"
I said, "That's true of all us"
You said, you said, "I've got to wake up so fucking early"
And I said, "Maybe the director's turned on us"

Don't say no to pills
Atavan won't kill



Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28

Track duration: 04:10


Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo song meanings
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39 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:...i was kinda thinking about someone coming off of heroin or some other opiate (maybe even alcohol?)... when you come off of opiates you dont sleep for like a week and it is the most pain and stress you could possibly imagine, it truely is hell, and he's saying, well don't say no to pills, ativan won't kill
    Flag bigpigon February 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:love song!
    she's going through a rough time and he wants to support and help her. pretty straightforward i think. she's upset with her life, like it's a bad movie that won't end and she's stressing and can't sleep.
    Flag coolbeans9on July 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:On the surface this song appears to just be advocating drugs, but deeper than that it’s asserting the artist is disappointed with their life because they’ve made bad choices. The artist has given up as a result of his shitty life, so why stop now? Thus, the drug use. I’m pretty sure that it holds some existential meaning as well, in that the artist has now rejected society’s interpretation of “purpose” and morality. The artist seems to be asserting the only certainty of life is that we will die and using Atavan will not kill you (taken in appropriate quantity), thus using drugs like Atavan means nothing.

    The chorus of this song is interesting because of the analogy it makes between a director making a bad movie and you yourself making bad life choices. Essentially the artist has become self-destructive as evidenced by the lyric “maybe the director’s turned on us.” In essence, you the director of your own life has fucked it up.

    The line “my life’s like a bad movie” is interpreted in a post before mine that bad movie means a movie in which things have gone wrong for the main character in a artificial fashion by Hollywood. I have to disagree. People use the term “bad movie” to describe a movie which was poorly executed. Thus the concept is that you’ve poorly executed your life.

    Or it could possibly be saying that God is the director and he’s made you fuck up, but this is a more difficult thesis to argue because of the autonomous choice to use Atavan. It would be a fallacy of logic to say that God directs your life and yet you have the ability to say no to pills. An ability to say no to pills is an autonomous decision. (Please look at this link if this is confusing for you: philosophyofreligion.info/arguments-for-atheism/the-argument-from-autonomy/)
    A third possibility is that the artist does mean God, yet mistakenly and unknowing included flawed logic in his song. This may be true, but would bother me because I believe the artist has crafted an excellent song. I am going to assume the artist of this song intends that he himself is the “director.”

    I just read the interpretation of Improv and this part sounds spot on:
    “if you've ever been in the midst of being extremely stressed out to the point of anxiety, you would understand this song. atavan is a pill you take when you're extremely stressed out/ridden with anxiety. i would know - i have taken it. basically, it relaxes you so you're not so worried anymore. this song is obviously about someone very much cared about, but this person is both distressed and desolate about what's going on.”

    I’ve never taken Atavan, so I didn’t know. But with this new information, I feel like parts of my interpretation should be reworked. So instead of this artist just giving up in life and resorting to (what I presumed was) illegal drug use. He has given up on trying to get sleep/reduce anxiety naturally and has turned to medication. This all makes perfect sense to me now, thanks improv.
    Flag RebeccaYannettion February 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:my best friend and i, a few summers ago, used to mix pills...
    and we would always go swimming afterwards and listen to this album.

    this song brings back all those memories,
    and the kind after you get 'high' off of sleeping pills,

    the kind where someone says, "remember when you did that?!"
    and you can't remember for anything.
    ...
    the memories this song induces are great, though.
    Flag kenziejaneon January 20, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:if you've ever been in the midst of being extremely stressed out to the point of anxiety, you would understand this song. atavan is a pill you take when you're extremely stressed out/ridden with anxiety. i would know - i have taken it. basically, it relaxes you so you're not so worried anymore. this song is obviously about someone very much cared about, but this person is both distressed and desolate about what's going on.

    with "my life's like a bad movie," maybe this person feels their life is a mockery? and the replies back from the narrator of the song are trying to act as like a comfort, especially since they are saying, "that's true of all of us." perhaps, they're trying to show this person that they are not alone?

    and "Atavan won't kill," is obviously the narrator's way of saying, "don't be scared of these pills, they can and will help you - just give them a chance, you'll feel better."
    Flag improvon December 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song a lot, but the title is so embarrassing. All of the titles on Highly Refined Pirates are pretty bad, trying-to-hard jokes that aren't anywhere near funny, and it's sad because otherwise it's a really great album.
    Flag Uncommonon October 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'Don't say 'no' to pills..'
    When I first heard this quite some time ago, it made me think of a friend of mine trying encouraging me to get some sleep because we'd been up for so long on, well pillsand saying to take a different kind so I could pass out.
    When I listened to it again, obviously the songs a lot more caring and has more meaning than that, but the line still makes me smile.
    Flag bean.on September 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song reminds me of a father talking to his child.
    i dont imagine the child whould be using cuss words but it just seems like some sad little song you would be singing a lullabye.
    i really dont know why i feel that though.
    Flag deadchickenclanon May 26, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i bet the very first comment, the person who suggested we stop listening to Brand New, really regrets it now.
    Flag hanahiscoolon March 06, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i bet the very first comment, the person who suggested we stop listening to Brand New, really regrets it now.
    Flag hanahiscoolon March 06, 2008   Link

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