Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers
The Blood Brothers Lyrics

If the sea shakes like an empty maraca I know [x4]
I am aware of the chaotic and unsettling nature of the world

And she falls in love with the sounds of ships sinking? I know [x4]
I am aware that some people are drawn to destruction and chaos

Which peacock is beast? Which peacock is priest? If the heavens part and nobody, nowhere, nothing, every apartment is vacant, every home for rent? Hey Peacock? What's that? I just want to know what your feathers are made out of. Is it bruises or roses or cradles or coffins? (It's all those!) Which peacock is beast? Which peacock is priest?
In a world where everything is chaotic and uncertain, I question the true nature of things and the roles that different beings play. The peacock, with all its contradictions, represents this complexity.

If your friends are all crippled, all withered, all wilt, I know [x4] and you smile at their pain on your angel bone stilts. I know [x4] Which peacock is beast? Which peacock is priest?
I am aware of the cruelty and callousness of some individuals, who may pretend to be pure and holy while inflicting pain on others. Again, the peacock is emblematic of this duality.

If the brick you throw puts a bullet in your skull and a police boot lands atop your gaping jaw? Hey Peacock? What's that? I just want to know what the babies mouth is full of. Is it flies or cries or straw? Which peacock is beast? Which peacock is priest? Which peacock's police? Which peacock is thief?
In a world where violence and oppression are rampant, I question the morality and motives of those in power. The innocence of a baby is contrasted with the brutality of the situation, and the peacock takes on multiple roles, blurring the lines of good and evil.

If machine guns come knock, knock, knocking Who's cashing out your bad luck? If wedding bells sound like death knells baby is a wealthy groom worth all this gloom? If tuxedos slither off corpses and copulate wild on wedding cake and the priest starts snapping photos? There's a peacock on your shoulder pole dancing around your neck while reciting the Book of Revelation.
I am questioning the value and meaning of traditional societal institutions, such as marriage and religion, in a world where violence and corruption are prevalent. The peacock, once again, embodies the contradictions and confusion of the situation.

If the forests turn to static and the gnarled branches, too? I know [x4] Your body starts to fall into a concrete tutu? I know [x4] which peacock is beast? which peacock is priest?
As the natural world disintegrates and morphs into something unfamiliar, I question again the nature of reality and existence, and the role of the peacock as an emblem of society's contradictions.

If you strike for better wages at the cola factory and they drink champagne as they kick in your teeth? Hey Peacock? What's that? I just want to know what his blood tasted like. Was it like sugar or vinegar or whiskey or dirt? (It's all those!) Which peacock is beast? Which peacock is priest?
In a world where workers are exploited and abused by the wealthy elite, I question the morality and hypocrisy of those in positions of power. The peacock is once again a symbol of this complexity and contradiction.

Things are never what they seem, the peacocks static melodies.
In a world where nothing is as it appears, and the lines between good and evil are blurred, I find some sense of comfort and stability in the peacock's static melodies.

So who do you love? Who do you trust when your friends take a match to your front lawn? A panicked face makes the peacock proud. So who do you love? Who do you trust? Who do you kill when your senator drags out your first born? A panicked face makes the peacock proud.
In a world of chaos, betrayal, and violence, I question who to trust and even who to love. The peacock's proud response to panicked faces suggests that it revels in such confusion and disorder.