Drag The River is an alt-country band hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, … Read Full Bio ↴Drag The River is an alt-country band hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. The band formed in 1996 when members Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass recorded 20 or so songs which were released as demos in 2000. All the members of the band come from a punk rock background -- Snodgrass of Armchair Martian, Price and ex-member Karl Alvarez both active in ALL during the 1990s. In 2002 J.J. Nobody of The Nobodys joined the band, and in 2004 Casey Prestwood of Hot Rod Circuit and Dave Barker of Pinhead Circus joined and picked up the steel & lead guitar, and drums respectively. The band released their last full length album called "It's Crazy" on June 6, 2006, and went on hiatus in May 2007.

Discography

• Hobo's Demo's (2000)
• Closed' (2002)
• Live at the Starlight (2002)
• at the Green Door LP (2003)
• Chicken Demo's (2004)
• Hey Buddies... (2004)
• Live at the Starlight/at the Green Door (double cd repress) (2000)
• ...a way with women 7 inch (2006)
• A Shame - Beautiful & Damned 7 inch (space mix) (2006)
• It's Crazy (2006)
• Found All Parts - Split with The Dents (2007)
• You Can't Live This Way LP (2007)

Medicine
Drag the River Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A bottle a day
Keeps the doctors away
Or so my girlfriend says
So I take my medicine
And she gives me something
That word's just can't express

She's cranky when she's sober

So sweet when she's wasted
When I quench my thirst with her waters
It's the sweetest I have ever tasted

As I lay down to sleep
She lays a bottle at my feet
Knowing when I wake up
I'll be shaking
The sun comes through the window
She opens up the bottle
She feeds me my medicine again

Chorus

I can't stay clean long
I hope she is not angry anymore
She brings me happiness in a bottle
Makes life easier to swallow
Makes love easier to hold
So I've been told

Chorus

Can't stay clean long
Hope she's not angry anymore

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in "Medicine" by Drag the River seem to discuss a person's dependence on alcohol and the role their significant other plays in enabling and supplying this dependence. The song describes a troubled relationship where the girlfriend encourages the singer to drink by claiming it prevents him from becoming ill. The singer seems to feel helpless and stuck in this cycle of addiction, as he states he can't stay clean for long and hopes his girlfriend is not angry with him anymore.

The chorus emphasizes the significance and importance of alcohol in this relationship. The singer views it as his medicine and his girlfriend as the one who administers it. He seems to be in a state of resignation and acceptance about his dependence, suggesting that alcohol makes life and love easier to handle.

The lyrics also touch on the different personalities his girlfriend exhibits when she is sober versus when she is drunk, implying that alcohol changes her as well. She becomes sweet when drunk but cranky when sober, which may indicate deeper issues and a reliance on alcohol to cope with them.

Overall, the lyrics in "Medicine" portray a troubled relationship where alcohol acts as a crutch and source of comfort for the singer, as well as a way for him and his girlfriend to avoid the issues and conflicts they face.

Line by Line Meaning

A bottle a day
Drinking a bottle of medicine every day

Keeps the doctors away
Prevents the need for seeing a doctor

Or so my girlfriend says
Based on his girlfriend's advice

So I take my medicine
Following his girlfriend's advice

And she gives me something
His girlfriend also gives him something else

That word's just can't express
Something that can't be described in words

She's cranky when she's sober
His girlfriend is moody when she's not drinking

So sweet when she's wasted
She's very pleasant when she's drunk

When I quench my thirst with her waters
Drinking from what his girlfriend provides

It's the sweetest I have ever tasted
The best liquid he's ever had

As I lay down to sleep
Going to bed at night