Cornbugs is the collaboration between avant-garde guitar virtuoso Buckethea… Read Full Bio ↴Cornbugs is the collaboration between avant-garde guitar virtuoso Buckethead and horror film actor Bill Moseley, who for the most part performs the songs in his character Chop Top, brother of Leatherface in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films.

Other performers include frequent Buckethead collaborators Pinchface (drums), Travis Dickerson (keys), and Dan Monti (whatever he gets his hands on).

Brain Dead
Cornbugs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If my loved one is brain dead, what does that mean?

Well, when someone is brain dead
There′s no flow
Or oxygen
To their brain
And that their brain is no longer functioning
In any capacity

And never will again

It does not mean that other organs such as
The heart, kidneys, or liver
Are dead
Although they may function for only a few days

Unless damaged by injury or disease
These organs may be used by another individual
Through an organ transplant
Plant, plant, plant, plant, plant, plant, plant

I have always understood
That when an individual dies
The heart stops beating

If my loved one is brain dead
Why does the heart continue to beat?

Heh heh
Well, the heart has its own pacemaker independent of the brain
As long as it has oxygen, it continues to beat
Hey, I like that beat

The heart could actually be removed from the body
Placed in a saline solution
Given oxygen
And still continue to beat

Therefore
The brain can be dead and the heart continue to beat

How can we deal with our struggle between hope and letting go?

Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh
Sometimes, we must accept things we cannot change
When brain death is declared
There is no hope
And it's time to let go
False hope can do a great deal of harm
And prevents the grieving process
That allows for emotional healing

Are all families approached
About the option of organ and tissue donations?

Yeah, they′ll lie though
But
I can speak from experience
You got an extra kidney or some
Adenoids lying around
You can put 'em in a plastic bag and give 'em to me

What do you plan to do with them?

Well
I ain′t gonna throw ′em out, that's for sure
And I sure ain′t gonna sew 'em up in some other idiot
In fact
Just getting a little hungry just talking about it here
I′ll give that liver a nice new home
Yes, I surely will

Brain dead
That's what the doctor said
Guess that′s the end of Ted
How come my hands are all red?
Brain dead
Brain dead
Coma, coma, coma, coma, coma, coma, coma
Brain dead

Mmph, mmph, yeah
Brain dead

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cornbugs' song "Brain Dead" touch on the topic of brain death and its implications. The song starts by explaining that brain death occurs when there is no flow or oxygen to the brain, rendering it non-functioning in any capacity and irreversible. However, this does not mean that other organs, such as the heart, kidneys, or liver, are dead. They may continue to function for a short period of time, and if they remain undamaged, they can be used for organ transplants.

The song then explores the connection between brain death and the continued beating of the heart. It explains that the heart has its own pacemaker, independent of the brain, and as long as it has oxygen, it will continue to beat. This concept is highlighted by the idea that the heart could be removed from the body and still beat in a saline solution with oxygen. Therefore, the heart can continue to beat even if the brain is dead.

The lyrics also address the struggle between hope and acceptance when facing brain death. It suggests that sometimes, we must accept things we cannot change and let go. False hope can be harmful and hinder the grieving process necessary for emotional healing.

In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner, the song briefly touches on the idea of organ and tissue donations. It humorously suggests that if anyone has spare organs lying around, they can put them in a plastic bag and give them to the singer. The lyrics playfully contemplate what could be done with those organs, indicating a willingness to give them a new home.

Line by Line Meaning

If my loved one is brain dead, what does that mean?
When someone is brain dead, it means that their brain is completely non-functional and will never be functional again.

Well, when someone is brain dead
When an individual is brain dead

There′s no flow
There is no circulation

Or oxygen
Or supply of oxygen

To their brain
To the brain

And that their brain is no longer functioning
And that the brain has ceased to function

In any capacity
In any way

And never will again
And never will function again

It does not mean that other organs such as
However, it does not indicate that other organs like

The heart, kidneys, or liver
The heart, kidneys, or liver

Are dead
Are non-functional

Although they may function for only a few days
Although they may continue to function for a few days

Unless damaged by injury or disease
Unless they are injured or affected by a disease

These organs may be used by another individual
These organs can potentially be utilized by another person

Through an organ transplant
By means of an organ transplant procedure

Plant, plant, plant, plant, plant, plant, plant
Place, place, place, place, place, place, place

I have always understood
I have always comprehended

That when an individual dies
That when someone passes away

The heart stops beating
The heart ceases to beat

If my loved one is brain dead
If my dear one is brain dead

Why does the heart continue to beat?
Why does the heart keep on beating?

Heh heh
Well

Well, the heart has its own pacemaker independent of the brain
The heart possesses its own internal pacemaker that is not controlled by the brain

As long as it has oxygen, it continues to beat
As long as it receives oxygen, it continues its rhythmic contractions

Hey, I like that beat
Hey, I enjoy that rhythm

The heart could actually be removed from the body
In fact, the heart can be extracted from the body

Placed in a saline solution
And placed in a saline solution

Given oxygen
Supplied with oxygen

And still continue to beat
And still keep beating

Therefore
Consequently

The brain can be dead and the heart continue to beat
The brain can be non-functional while the heart keeps on beating

How can we deal with our struggle between hope and letting go?
How can we cope with the conflict between holding onto hope and accepting the inevitable?

Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh
Well, well, well, well, well, well, well

Sometimes, we must accept things we cannot change
At times, we need to acknowledge and accept things beyond our control

When brain death is declared
When brain death is officially pronounced

There is no hope
There is no possibility of recovery

And it's time to let go
And it is time to release our attachment

False hope can do a great deal of harm
False hope can cause significant harm

And prevents the grieving process
And obstructs the process of grieving

That allows for emotional healing
That enables emotional recovery

Are all families approached
Are all families contacted

About the option of organ and tissue donations?
Regarding the possibility of donating organs and tissues?

Yeah, they'll lie though
Yes, they might lie

But
However

I can speak from experience
I can provide personal testimony

You got an extra kidney or some
Do you possess an additional kidney or perhaps

Adenoids lying around
Unused adenoids somewhere

You can put 'em in a plastic bag and give 'em to me
You can store them in a plastic bag and donate them to me

What do you plan to do with them?
What do you intend to do with them?

Well
Well

I ain't gonna throw 'em out, that's for sure
I am definitely not going to discard them

And I sure ain't gonna sew 'em up in some other idiot
And I certainly won't stitch them up in someone else

In fact
Actually

Just getting a little hungry just talking about it here
Just mentioning it is making me slightly hungry

I'll give that liver a nice new home
I'll provide that liver a lovely new residence

Yes, I surely will
Yes, I definitely will

Brain dead
Non-functional brain

That's what the doctor said
That is what the physician stated

Guess that's the end of Ted
I suppose that marks the end of Ted

How come my hands are all red?
Why are my hands covered in red?

Coma, coma, coma, coma, coma, coma, coma
State of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness, state of unconsciousness

Mmph, mmph, yeah
Muffled sound, muffled sound, yes

Brain dead
Non-functional brain

Writer(s): Brian Carroll

Contributed by Lauren B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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