Mr. Chainsaw
Alkaline Trio Lyrics


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When was it that you lost your youth or traded
It for something more for them to use so jaded
Why is it that you never said
I love you more than just a friend

I pray this gridlock never ends
And when we get there just depends
I found out recently that you are leaving
For good I hope I softly tell me ceiling

It's better now to be alive
Sleeping is my nine to five
I'm having nightmares all the time
Of running out of words that rhyme

Everything that you could never say
Would never matter anyway
I took a hammer and two nails to my eardrums long ago
Before that steak knife took my eyes

I looked up to the sky
For the last thing I would ever see
For the last time I'd cry
When was it that you sold your life or wasted

Every bite of that small slice you never tasted
I guess I should be one to talk
There's nights that I can't even walk
There's days I couldn't give a fuck

And in between is where i'm stuck
From blocks away I heard somebody screaming
That small child inside of you that you left bleeding
You stabbed him up not once but twice

Cubicles will now suffice
Some say it's the roll of the dice
I think they're wrong I know I'm right
Every breath that I could barely breathe

Could barely make it past my teeth
I took a blowtorch to both of my lungs a long, long time ago
Every step that I could take
Every one more difficult to make

Mr. Chainsaw came and took my legs a long, long time ago
In case you're wondering I'm singing about growing up and giving in




In case you're wondering we're singing about growing up
About giving up and giving in

Overall Meaning

In Alkaline Trio's song Mr. Chainsaw, the lyrics revolve around the theme of growing up, giving in, and losing one's youth. The opening lines evoke a sense of nostalgia and loss as the singer questions when the person they're addressing lost their innocence or traded it away. They express the frustration of never hearing that person say "I love you more than just a friend." The song's narrator appears to be stuck in a phase of their life, hoping that something will change, and they'll find a way to break through to the other side. Faced with the unbearable reality of growing older, they sing about past instances they inflicted self-harm on themselves and the way they feel trapped in their life.


As the song continues, the singer reflects on the way they feel stuck and unable to move forward, as though they're just going through the motions of existing. They reflect on how they've given up on their dreams, in the indifference of walking through life's motions, and how they feel jaded. The line "Every breath that I could barely breathe could barely make it past my teeth" evokes emotional fatigue that often plagues people as they move through life's stages, sometimes feeling stuck between moving forward and falling behind.


Line by Line Meaning

When was it that you lost your youth or traded It for something more for them to use so jaded
When did you surrender your youth or exchange it for something they could exploit, leaving you feeling cynical


Why is it that you never said I love you more than just a friend
Why did you never express your love, beyond just friendship


I pray this gridlock never ends And when we get there just depends
I hope we're never stuck in this situation indefinitely and the outcome is uncertain


I found out recently that you are leaving For good I hope I softly tell me ceiling
I just learned you're leaving, forever, I hope my ceiling can hear my soft cry of frustration


It's better now to be alive Sleeping is my nine to five I'm having nightmares all the time Of running out of words that rhyme
Being alive is better now, but it feels like sleeping is all I do. I have nightmares about losing the ability to rhyme


Everything that you could never say Would never matter anyway I took a hammer and two nails to my eardrums long ago Before that steak knife took my eyes
Everything you couldn't say would be pointless, just like my action of damaging my hearing before going blind


I looked up to the sky For the last thing I would ever see For the last time I'd cry
I searched the sky for the final thing I'd ever view, the last time I'll ever cry


When was it that you sold your life or wasted Every bite of that small slice you never tasted
When did you either sell your life or squander every opportunity you never took


I guess I should be one to talk There's nights that I can't even walk There's days I couldn't give a fuck And in between is where i'm stuck
I suppose I'm not in a position to judge when there are nights I can't walk and days I don't care, just stuck in between


From blocks away I heard somebody screaming That small child inside of you that you left bleeding You stabbed him up not once but twice Cubicles will now suffice
From far away, I hear the screeches of the inner child you hurt, stabbing them more than once, now settling for cubicle life


Some say it's the roll of the dice I think they're wrong I know I'm right
Some say it's just luck, but I believe they're mistaken, and I'm certain I'm correct


Every breath that I could barely breathe Could barely make it past my teeth I took a blowtorch to both of my lungs a long, long time ago
Every breath is a struggle to take, so difficult they barely pass my teeth. A long time ago, I destroyed both lungs with a blowtorch


Every step that I could take Every one more difficult to make Mr. Chainsaw came and took my legs a long, long time ago
Every move I attempt is progressively more strenuous, and Mr. Chainsaw removed my legs a long time ago


In case you're wondering I'm singing about growing up and giving in In case you're wondering we're singing about growing up About giving up and giving in
Just in case you're curious, I'm singing about surrendering to adulthood, and we're singing about giving up and yielding to the pressures of maturity




Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL MICHAEL ANDRIANO, MATTHEW THOMAS SKIBA, MIKE FELUMLEE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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