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Biting keeps your words at bay
Tending to the sores that stay
Happiness is just a gash away
When I open a familiar scar
Pain goes shooting like a star
Comfort hasn't failed to follow so far
And you might say it's self-indulgent
You might say its self-destructive
But, you see, it's more productive
Than if I were to be healthy
And pens and penknives take the blame
Crane my neck and scratch my name
But the ugly marks are worth the momentary gain
When I jab a sharpened object in
Choirs of angels seem to sing
Hymns of hate in memorandum
And you might say it's self-indulgent
And you might say it's self-destructive
But, you see, it's more productive
Than if I were to be happy
And sappy songs about sex and cheating
Bland accounts of two lovers meeting
Make me want to give mankind a beating
And you might say it's self-destructive
But, you see, I'd kick the bucket
Sixty times before I'd kick the habit
And as the skin rips off I cherish the revolting thought
That even if I quit there's not a chance in hell I'd stop
And anyone can see the signs, mittens in the summertime
Thank you for your pity, you are too kind
And you might say its self-inflicted
But you see that's contradictive
Why on earth would anyone practice self-destruction?
And pain opinions are sitcom feeding
They don't know that their minds are teething
Makes me want to give mankind a beating
I've tried bandages and sinking
I've tried gloves and even thinking
I've tried vaseline, I've tried everything
And no one cares if your back is bleeding
They're concerned with their hair receding
Looking back, it was all maltreating
Every thought that occurred misleading
Makes me want to give myself a beating
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And yes, I know Palmer said this is about nails, but what she was describing WAS a form of self-injury. Also can't see how scratching one's name relates to biting your nails...
The part about the Vaseline struck true too, because I use Vaseline once the cuts scab over and it helps with the scarring.
I love this song, it really strikes a deep chord for me.
I like to believe this song is a reach out to all people that self injure.
By the way, like I was saying in another post.
People that self-injure FUCKING HATE IT when people call them cutters.
Cutting isn't nearly as common as biting or, for example, picking scabs.
1. Vaseline can be sort of like lotion in that it'll soften your skin (if you've read Of Mice and Men, you might recall Curley wearing a glove filled with Vaseline to soften his left hand). from experience (I'm guilty of skin-biting/tearing), it's a LOT more tempting to "indulge" when the skin is already torn because it makes it easier to and also because it's overall frustrating to have skin that isn't "smooth" or unbitten.
2. Vaseline can heal the damage. this is an effort to erase the evidence and prevent future damage.
in a broader sense, the narrator's tried just about everything to stop because s/he acknowledges it's destructive and unattractive, but everything's failed them and only opened up a new avenue to indulge.
I have read this thread, and seen that Amanda Palmer herself has said it's about nail biting and picking of the cuticles. This makes sense when thinking about the lyrics, I get that. But it is also extremely naïve and ignorant to think that there is just one single interpretation of a song, poem, or book. The author can intend for a certain meaning to come across, but every single person has a different history, a different outlook on life and so they will see it through their context.
When I first heard this, I related to it on so many levels. To me, this is about self injury, and how others don't understand it. She talks about cutting, nail biting, scab picking and other forms of self destruction. No matter what the mode, she is talking about the relief, the 'momentary gain'.
To me, this song is an explanation. Why she can't stop, why she won't stop. It might not be justified, it might not be plain to see, but her mode of self injury alleviates whatever negative emotion she is feeling. It is the same for many people who engage in self injurious behaviour.
To look at this song in one way and dismiss all others would be completely incoherent with the message that the Dresden Dolls try to send. Look at any of their songs. Always another meaning, always a hidden message, never one, stable way of looking at it. I can see that this song isn't only about cutting, or sex or drugs, but I don't think that it is purely about nail biting. When I hear this song, I will relate to it on a level I understand and know, not from some other point of view.
And for those of you who say Amanda herself said this isn't about self harm – you are all severely wrong and deluding yourselves.
"You may find it enlightening and amusing to know that this song was actually not inspired by the idea of cutting oneself. I have this terrible habit of picking off the skin around my fingernails...with my teeth, with my nails, and occasionally with a sharp object lying around. I can see how you would interpret the lyrics that way, and I'm glad the song provoked you enough to write to us. There are plenty of people out there, many of them children, practicing real self harm that may actually find comfort in an artist expressing the anguish that accompanies any sort of self-destructive bad habit, and knowing that I may provide that comfort means that I sleep very well at night, indeed. "
Where in there does it say that it isn't about self harm? Picking the skin around your finger nails is considered self harm (the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue without suicidal intention), albeit a rather 'tame' mode of self harm but still self harm. This then means that the messages of the song, the meaning of the song, can be projected to encompass other modes of self harm too.
Amanda didn't say either that it was wrong for people to interpret this song how they want, she said that it helps her sleep at night thinking that this song can provide comfort to those who engage in other forms of self harm.
So please, tell me: Who are you to contradict the artist's wishes? Who are you to call others 'fuck heads' because they want this to relate to them? Who are you to tell people that they are wrong simply because they have the ability to think for themselves?
Your ignorance is astounding.
not
cutting
she's
biting
her
nails.
i love how she captures the feeling of stupid songs by various artists who sing love songs and break up songs for a living.
sappy songs about sex and cheating
bland accounts of two lovers meeting
make me want to give mankind a beating
this song describes my life.
This is the forum post:
"hello. i have just read the lyrics to your song 'bad habit'. i would just like to ask you how you can justify writing a song that glorifies self harm like this? do you have any idea how many impressionable children your music will have an impact on? yes, children...do you want to be responsible for a load of CHILDREN getting into the vicious cycle of self harm because of a song that YOU wrote? lyrics like "when i open a familiar scar, pain goes shooting like a star, comfort hasn't failed to follow so far..." tell kids that if they want comfort they should cut themselves, how can you tell kids that?!? i can't express how fucking disgusted i am that you think this is a good song to put out there when people look to music to help them. i know that after saying all this, you probably won't reply but i would really like to know how you can sleep at night.
amanda responds:
You may find it enlightening and amusing to know that this song was actually not inspired by the idea of cutting oneself. I have this terrible habit of picking off the skin around my fingernails...with my teeth, with my nails, and occasionally with a sharp object lying around. I can see how you would interpret the lyrics that way, and I'm glad the song provoked you enough to write to us. There are plenty of people out there, many of
them children, practicing real self harm that may actually find comfort in an artist expressing the anguish that accompanies any sort of self-destructive bad habit, and knowing that I may provide that comfort means that I sleep very well at night, indeed.
p.s. "censorship is to art as lynching is to justice" - henry louis gates"