Shooting Up In Vain
Eagle-Eye Cherry Lyrics

Waking up as the sun goes down
He is waking up late in the evening and indicating that he has been up all night

Body all in pain
He is experiencing physical pain and discomfort, possibly due to drug use

Straight out the door to the worst part of town
He is leaving home to go to a dangerous and drug-infested part of the city

Shooting up in vain
He is injecting narcotics with no real effect or satisfaction, doing it simply out of addiction

Slips all his money to the man
He surrenders all of his money to a dealer or other drug supplier

Here we go again....here we go again
This is a repetitive pattern that has happened before, with no end in sight

Got bags of mercy in the palm of his hand
The dealer has a quantity of drugs available, creating temptation for the addict

So he heads for the closest rooftop
He goes to a high and isolated location to use the drugs without being caught

And now he's free with the skyline behind
He feels a sense of freedom and escape while taking narcotics that distorts his vision

But it won't be long until his high will drop
His drug-induced feeling of euphoria will not last long, ultimately leading to withdrawal symptoms

Then you know what he'll try to find
He will try to locate more drugs in order to feel better, continuing his addiction

Now he's back on that hunt for more
He is searching for more drugs to satisfy his addiction

Wanting to get back to where he was before
He wants to experience the same high that he felt previously

So now he goes and sells his wedding ring
He sells his wedding ring to obtain money to buy more drugs

But now he's sold exactly everything
He has now sold all of his valuable possessions in order to obtain drugs

Down to the bed as the sun goes up
As the sun rises, he is in bed and possibly experiencing the negative effects of withdrawal

He's Dr. Jekyll and he's Mr. Hyde
He is two different personalities: one that is rational and one that is consumed by addiction

He's got to listen to that voice deep inside
He should listen to his own inner voice, which may remind him of the negative aspects of drug use

Got a one-way ticket on a derailed train
His addiction is consuming him and his life is like a runaway train with no direction or plan

Got to stop shooting up in vain
He knows that it's time to quit drug use, but he doesn't know if he ever will.

Such a shame
It is a pity that he has allowed his life to spiral out of control due to addiction