Fork and Knife
Brand New Lyrics


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We're uneasy, two tigers in a cage,
We're pacing on our pads, in waiting,
For the time to come in reverie.
Our lazy bones ache for our dowry.

You can't hold on to the thrill.
So I hope you find your will to follow through.
What we invented, I am now ending.
Hold on to who you love.
We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
What we invented, I am now ending.

The closest thing we had to royalty,
A chance to break our parents' patterns.
We chose to keep our teenage tragedy,
In lieu of a romantic palace.
Play tender like a new born baby would.
Play tender 'til the night is over.
I'm leaving you to nurture cherished wounds,
And care for it just like your lover, yeah.

You can't hold on to the thrill.
So I hope you find your will to follow through.
What we invented, I am now ending.
Hold on to who you love.
We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
What we invented, I am now ending.

Can't hold on to the thrill.
So I hope you find your will to follow through.
What we invented, I am now ending.
Hold on to who you love.
We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
The morning's over, the day is in full swing.

I know you're busy,
But please won't you come visit me?
You are an aimless ghost,
You haunt you bag of bones.
The wolf messed with your vision.
He is sitting in your kitchen,
While you sleep tonight.
You will eat your young,
And you will act surprised.

You can't hold on to the thrill.
So I hope you find your will to follow through.
What we invented, I am now ending.
Hold on to who you love.
We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
What we invented, I am now ending.

Can't hold on to the thrill.
So I hope you find your will to follow through.
What we invented, I am now ending.
Hold on to who you love.




We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
The morning's over, the day is in full swing.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Brand New's song Fork and Knife express a feeling of uneasiness, as if two tigers are locked in a cage. The tigers, pacing on their pads, are waiting for the right moment to be released from their confines. The singer is looking for resolution, as they are tired of holding onto something that no longer excites them. This inertia is prompting them to end the relationship they have with their partner, who they had been trying to figure things out with for a while.


The song reflects on the perils of teenage relationships and the pressure to act like royalty, which the singer and their partner had been experiencing. They recognize that they had been holding onto their teenage tragedy, living in a romantic palace, even as they entered adulthood. The singer urges their partner to play tender, the way they should have during their teenage years. They then leave their partner to deal with the wounds from their relationship and cherish them like a lover.


The lyrics highlight the reality of growing up - the feeling of dryness and the sense of being blown about like dust. The morning may be over and the day begun, but the singer urges their partner to hold onto what they love, rather than just holding onto a thrill or a momentary high.


Line by Line Meaning

We're uneasy, two tigers in a cage,
Feeling confined, anxious and restless with someone who should be a mate


We're pacing on our pads, in waiting,
Growing increasingly restless and agitated, waiting for something to change


For the time to come in reverie.
Dreaming of a better time or opportunity to break free from the current situation


Our lazy bones ache for our dowry.
Feeling entitled to some unearned reward or inheritance that has yet to come to fruition


You can't hold on to the thrill.
It's impossible to maintain the same level of excitement or passion indefinitely


So I hope you find your will to follow through.
Encouraging someone to stay committed and see things through despite the inevitable ups and downs


What we invented, I am now ending.
Discontinuing a relationship that was not authentic or built on a solid foundation


Hold on to who you love.
Encouraging someone to cherish and value the people they care about most


We are dry and blown like dust since we were young.
Feeling dried up and worn out since a young age, possibly due to past traumas or struggles


The closest thing we had to royalty,
The best thing we had going for us, but not necessarily good enough


A chance to break our parents' patterns.
An opportunity to avoid repeating the same mistakes as our parents


We chose to keep our teenage tragedy,
Holding onto past pain or trauma from adolescence instead of moving on and growing


In lieu of a romantic palace.
Preferring a dramatic or tragic story to an idealized, fairy tale romance


Play tender like a new born baby would.
Behaving with gentleness, vulnerability, and innocence


Play tender 'til the night is over.
Acting sweet and loving until the situation or relationship comes to an end


I'm leaving you to nurture cherished wounds,
Leaving someone to cope with their pain and care for themselves


And care for it just like your lover, yeah.
Taking care of oneself with the same attentiveness and care as one would for a partner


The morning's over, the day is in full swing.
Time is slipping away and the situation is rapidly changing


I know you're busy,
Recognizing someone is occupied or preoccupied with something else


But please won't you come visit me?
Asking for someone's time and attention, despite their other obligations


You are an aimless ghost,
Feeling lost, directionless, and disconnected from others


You haunt your bag of bones.
Suffering and carrying the pain within oneself, with no way to escape or seek relief


The wolf messed with your vision.
Something or someone has distorted or corrupted one's view of the world


He is sitting in your kitchen,
The source of one's pain or distortion is present and persistent


While you sleep tonight.
One's problems or pain continue to persist and weigh on them even when they try to rest


You will eat your young,
Being destructive or self-sabotaging, especially towards one's own progress or well-being


And you will act surprised.
Feeling taken aback or shocked by the consequences of one's own actions, even though they were self-inflicted




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JESSE LACEY, VINCENT ACCARDI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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