Gin
Drew Bunting Lyrics
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But my mother swore she saw the angel Gabriel
The day that I was born
I never dreamed
Anything like that
But I remember giving my new brother
Half my toys
That's how we lived
And to mouth and spirit, never fearing
We'd grow up like the jesters that we were
And when we'd weathered their storm
They brought us wine
But we turned our glasses over
Didn't shake our heads or notice
When they said, 'Excuse me, sir?'
They did not realise
We would carve them into time
Time brought us well
Well beyond the reach of anyone
We both had won together in the rain
Still, it must come
As he stopped to light a cigarette
I walked ahead
We never were the same
And he bled dirty red wine
And I drank gin
As the miles grew thick between us
And I read my Shakespeare, dug my grave
And he swam the horizon, his new friend
And I woke up
On the sidewalk
Just another night of soft decline
I wonder where my shoes went
As I'm walking into traffic signs
I meet him
Half-delivered
But he calls me brother, joy and lover
No more
This is too much
All at once
And at last we stand eye to eye
But he looks so tall
And I don't know how it happened
But the days have gone; we were so young
But we both turn
And we both say
"Yes I know
I would turn you into stone."
The lyrics of Drew Bunting's song "Gin" describe the relationship between two brothers who grew up together, weathered life's storms, and eventually grew apart. The song begins with a reference to the day of the singer's birth and his mother's account of seeing the angel Gabriel, which sets a tone of spirituality and innocence. The brothers then grew up together, sharing their toys and never fearing what life had in store for them. When they faced challenges, they turned to one another for support and refused to be swayed by those who tried to bring them down.
As they entered adulthood, however, the brothers went their separate ways. The singer seems content to read Shakespeare and "dig his own grave," while his brother "swam the horizon" with a new friend. The song takes a dark turn as the singer wakes up on the sidewalk, unable to find his shoes and wondering how his life has come to this. He then meets his brother once again, but their reunion is bittersweet, as they both realize how much they have changed and how much time has passed. The final lines indicate a sense of regret and a desire to turn back time, as they both acknowledge that they have the power to hurt one another.
Overall, "Gin" is a hauntingly beautiful song that explores the complexities of brotherhood and the passage of time. The lyrics are infused with a sense of melancholy and uncertainty, yet there are also moments of tenderness and hope. It is a song that speaks to the universal themes of love, loss, and the difficult choices we make as we navigate our way through life.
Line by Line Meaning
I wasn't there
I wasn't present at my birth
But my mother swore she saw the angel Gabriel
My mother claims she saw a divine being when I was born
I never dreamed
I never imagined anything like that happening
Anything like that
I didn't dream of having a magical experience on my birth
But I remember giving my new brother
I recall giving my sibling some of my belongings
Half my toys
I shared my playthings equally with my sibling
That's how we lived
We both shared everything we had as kids
And to mouth and spirit, never fearing
We never doubted our bond even for a moment
We'd grow up like the jesters that we were
We thought we were amusing fools who would always stick together
And when we'd weathered their storm
After we conquered our obstacles
They brought us wine
They offered us alcohol to celebrate
But we turned our glasses over
We chose not to drink the wine
Didn't shake our heads or notice
We didn't refuse openly or acknowledge their gesture
When they said, 'Excuse me, sir?'
When they questioned our behavior in disbelief
They did not realise
They didn't understand that
We would carve them into time
We were going to make history
Time brought us well
Time brought us good fortune
Well beyond the reach of anyone
Despite having toiled for a long time, we achieved our goals beyond anyone's expectations
We both had won together in the rain
We both achieved victory together through hardships
Still, it must come
However, something was bound to ruin our relationship
As he stopped to light a cigarette
As my friend stopped to smoke a cigarette
I walked ahead
I walked away leaving my friend behind
We never were the same
That marked the end of our close bond
And he bled dirty red wine
My friend suffered or lost himself to alcohol addiction
And I drank gin
I also turned to alcohol (gin specifically)
As the miles grew thick between us
As we grew apart, the distance grew wide
And I read my Shakespeare, dug my grave
I contemplated my demise while indulging in literary classics
And he swam the horizon, his new friend
My friend explored new horizons with someone new
And I woke up
I regained my consciousness
On the sidewalk
Lying on the pavement
Just another night of soft decline
Another day of depression or going nowhere
I wonder where my shoes went
I didn't even know what became of my shoes
As I'm walking into traffic signs
I walked blindly not noticing my surroundings
I meet him
I ran into my friend
Half-delivered
He was partially coherent or disjointed
But he calls me brother, joy and lover
My friend affectionately called me his brother, happiness, and lover at some point in the past
No more
Not anymore
This is too much
It's too overwhelming or heartbreaking
All at once
All of it happening immediately
And at last we stand eye to eye
Finally, we're face to face
But he looks so tall
My friend appears taller than I remember
And I don't know how it happened
I have no explanation for this phenomenon
But the days have gone; we were so young
We had grown up, and our youth had passed away
But we both turn
But we both face away from each other
And we both say
We both speak simultaneously
'Yes I know
I acknowledge
I would turn you into stone.'
I would devastate and crush you if I could.
Contributed by Nicholas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.