Novocaine
Amateur Blonde Lyrics

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Late at night
Trauma light
Starts its beeping
Whose gonna pay for this?
Whose gonna pay for?

22 out of 10
The pain is seething

It′s unbelievable
They're unbelievable

The less they know
The more they say
And what they mean
Gets locked away (ah)

Mmm
Mmm

Throw the shoe away (ooo)
And trade it in for novocaine (ooo)
So not to speak the words
The words of mercy

If you cried out
If you give in
There′d be nothing left
To believe in

And you couldn't plan for this
And you didn't plan for this
And you couldn′t plan for this
And you didn′t plan for this

Mmm
Mmm
Mmm
Mmm

Mmm
Mmm

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Amateur Blonde's song Novocaine seem to be about dealing with pain and trauma. The opening lines describe a hospital setting, with the "trauma light" beeping and the singer wondering who will pay for whatever medical attention they need. The next few lines express the intensity of the pain they are going through, rating it as "22 out of 10" and describing it as "unbelievable."

The chorus introduces the idea of numbing the pain, both literally and figuratively. The singer suggests throwing away their shoe (perhaps a reference to an uncomfortable or painful situation) and using novocaine as a way to avoid speaking "the words of mercy," or possibly the vulnerability and emotional pain that would come with expressing themselves honestly. The lyrics then take a darker turn, with the singer suggesting that there would be "nothing left to believe in" if they were to cry out or give in to the pain.

The final lines of the song seem to emphasize the unexpected nature of trauma; the singer couldn't have planned for whatever caused their pain and didn't anticipate the pain they would feel as a result. Overall, the lyrics seem to be exploring the idea of dealing with emotional and physical pain in a world that can be unpredictable and harsh.

Line by Line Meaning

Late at night
When it's dark outside

Trauma light
The light in a hospital room

Starts its beeping
The sound made by medical equipment

Whose gonna pay for this?
Who will cover the cost of the medical treatment?

Whose gonna pay for?
Who will pay for the suffering?

22 out of 10
The pain is extremely intense

The pain is seething
The pain is bubbling and boiling under the surface

It's unbelievable
It's hard to believe how much pain there is

They're unbelievable
The people who doubted the pain are unbelievable

The less they know
The less informed they are

The more they say
The more they talk about things they don't understand