"In the can" is slang for something being finished - like a scene in a movie that has been deemed successful by a director and therefore is "in the can"....complete. According to an interview w/Peter Murphy, the song is about Marliyn Monroe (who happened to mix pills and alcohol on a regular basis) - I believe this song could refer to her death as being her last performance, and that it is actually her life that is "in the can".
"In the can" is slang for something being finished - like a scene in a movie that has been deemed successful by a director and therefore is "in the can"....complete. According to an interview w/Peter Murphy, the song is about Marliyn Monroe (who happened to mix pills and alcohol on a regular basis) - I believe this song could refer to her death as being her last performance, and that it is actually her life that is "in the can".