aloC acoC
Brand New Lyrics


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Blood and feathers
On my dumb paws
You ain't nothing but a dead duck
I ain't nothing but a hound-dog.

You seep in the windows and vents.
I lay in the grass and I lose your scent.
If God gave me grace, then why aren't a graceful?
My joints are froze, and cold and old and idle.

If it's by air
I don't want to know
If we all don't take cover
Were all gonna fall back in love again

You work late and fight off your boss
Your patient dies and you take the night off

They've worked out
All the bugs
So now if you have enough money
You can buy love

You file out your reception seating
While I sing sing sing
These ten lords still leaping
The mark on your breast from your baby teething.
Give him my name if he is needing.

If it's by sea
Then I don't want to know
If we all don't take cover
Then we're all gonna fall back in love again





Bless your beautiful eyes.
And curse your god when your friends die.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Brand New's song aloC acoC are enigmatic and leave a lot of room for interpretation. The opening lines "Blood and feathers on my dumb paws, you ain't nothing but a dead duck, I ain't nothing but a hound-dog" are likely metaphorical and suggest feelings of powerlessness and helplessness. The use of animal imagery, with blood and feathers on paws and the comparison to a dead duck and a hound-dog, adds to the sense of despair and loss of control. The second verse "You seep in the windows and vents, I lay in the grass and I lose your scent. If God gave me grace, then why aren't a graceful? My joints are froze, and cold and old and idle" continues this feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to make sense of the world. The use of religious language and the questioning of grace suggests a struggle with faith and a sense of disconnect.


The chorus "If it's by air, I don't want to know. If we all don't take cover, we're all gonna fall back in love again" is again ambiguous, but seems to suggest a desire to avoid reality and the difficulties that it brings. The repetition of the phrase "we're all gonna fall back in love again" could be ironic or hopeful, depending on the interpretation. The third verse "You work late and fight off your boss, your patient dies and you take the night off. They've worked out all the bugs, so now if you have enough money, you can buy love" touches on themes of capitalism and the commodification of emotions. The line "you can buy love" is especially poignant, highlighting the idea that love has a price and can be purchased like any other commodity.


Line by Line Meaning

Blood and feathers
There is evidence that something violent has taken place.


On my dumb paws
I am unable to escape or protect myself.


You ain't nothing but a dead duck
You are in a vulnerable position and unable to protect yourself.


I ain't nothing but a hound-dog.
I am also in a vulnerable position and unable to protect myself.


You seep in the windows and vents.
You invade my space and cause me discomfort.


I lay in the grass and I lose your scent.
I try to hide from you and make it difficult for you to find me.


If God gave me grace, then why aren't a graceful?
If I have been blessed with good things, why am I not living up to my full potential?


My joints are froze, and cold and old and idle.
I am physically unable to move or perform the way I used to.


If it's by air
I would rather not know the details of how something is going to happen.


I don't want to know
I am not interested in knowing the details of how something is going to happen.


If we all don't take cover
If we all don't protect ourselves, something bad will happen.


Were all gonna fall back in love again
We will be forced to confront our feelings again.


You work late and fight off your boss
You try to do your job and overcome obstacles at work.


Your patient dies and you take the night off
You experience the loss of someone in your care and need to take some time off to process it.


They've worked out
Someone has figured out how to make something work.


All the bugs
All the problems have been identified and fixed.


So now if you have enough money
Money is the key to getting what you want.


You can buy love
You can use money to get people to like you.


You file out your reception seating
You organize your event and make sure everyone is comfortable.


While I sing sing sing
I try to entertain and distract myself and others.


These ten lords still leaping
These people are still living their lives without interruption.


The mark on your breast from your baby teething.
The physical evidence of the pain you have experienced.


Give him my name if he is needing.
If someone is looking for help, I am willing to offer what I can.


If it's by sea
I would rather not know the details of how something is going to happen.


Then we're all gonna fall back in love again
We will be forced to confront our feelings again.


Bless your beautiful eyes.
I appreciate your looks and your presence.


And curse your god when your friends die.
I blame a higher power for the negative things that happen in life.




Contributed by Lauren L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

M

haven't heard this song in 4 years. goosebumps and teary eyes through it all.

J B

This song reminds me of the nights I would spend, up late driving around the summer my best friend died street racing in 2011.... so beautiful and nostalgic. Just speaks to me on so many levels

J B

@Jason Shepard thank you Jason, since he passed away his dad has committed suicide and now it’s just his mom and sister. We don’t speak anymore, however time has created a level of separation from the events and now it doesn’t cut as deep. Thank you Jason. Truly appreciate it.

Jason Shepard

This song brings up a lot of intense and nostalgic feelings for me too.

I hope you've been able to heal from your loss over the years JB

J B

@Tanner Blonigen stay strong brother. I'm not sure what your political, social, religious views are and it doesn't matter. I wish you the best and please don't ever give up. As a matter of fact, excell at life and enjoy it while you have it

Tanner Blonigen

@J B very good advice, I’ve actually been struggling somewhat lately, so I don’t take those words lightly. from one internet stranger to another, keep it up. life is short, lets not let it get any shorter. long live Brand New.

J B

@Tanner Blonigen Hey Tanner. I'm actually doing pretty good. His father has since committed suicide last year, leaving just his mom and sister. We knew he was sad, but he kept a cheerful spirit and didn't let anyone know it was coming. The truth is. Life is good. We must wake up every day ready to greet it with a swift and divine temper. Seize the day, live life to its fullest. And remember that life is linear, without chapters. I have become happy with who I am, and try to enjoy every day I have.

Still love this damn song though.

3 More Replies...

ioughtago

“I was gonna go record that song about my brothers that I wrote, and I was in the booth. Whatever I had sung before, we had turned up the reverb on the mic a lot and we hadn’t changed any of the settings. So when I got in there, I started playing the song (Brothers), just testing levels, and I started playing it real slow for some reason and it just sounded good. I decided to record it like that. And I didn’t think that the lyrics should be the same so I just wrote another set of lyrics to it. It’s about a lot of stuff, it’s about Derrick’s friend who died that night, and about my dad, and other things that are worrisome to me, I suppose.”

Conor Hurren

I only ever listened to the intro and turned off thinking "It's Brothers with different lyrics." Last time I don't give a Brand New song one whole listen. These guys haven't ever created anything short of brilliant.

Aaron Dye

I remember the day that i got this single in the mail........maybe i thought it was the best song i'd ever heard....

I sing it to myself sometimes.

And it makes sense things turned out like they did...........I really did love them a lot though...

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