The Medication Is Wearing Off
Eels Lyrics


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See the watch she gave me?
Well it still ticks away
The days I'm claiming back for me

The medication's wearing off
Gonna hurt not a little, a lot
Keep on tickin' you're not lickin' me
Step on a crack break your mother's heart
Red light green light black
Suicide e-mail do not delete
Plug it back in the jack
Start to be what they want you to be
And you see yourself as they see you

Sunrise on the corner of
Sunset and Alvarado
I think what the hell do I do now
Watch the day disintegrate
So I can stay up late and wait





See this watch she gave me?
Well it still ticks away

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Eels' "The Medication Is Wearing Off" introduce us to a watch given by a woman who seems to be no longer in the singer's life. However, the watch still "ticks away," indicating the relentless passage of time. With this opening verse, the song is diving into themes of mortality, time slipping away, and the singer's longing or need for autonomy.


The titular line, "The Medication is Wearing Off," is repeated throughout the song, and can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. The singer may be coming down from an actual medication, but more likely the line represents the masking of emotions and the artificial numbing of reality. As the medication wears off, the reality of the singer's life sets in, and it's going to hurt a lot.


The second half of the song is packed with references and images that build on these themes. The mention of "step on a crack break your mother's heart" hearkens to childhood superstitions and the fear of causing harm to loved ones. The lines "start to be what they want you to be/and you see yourself as they see you" touch on the pressure to conform and the loss of individual identity. The song concludes with the singer contemplating the sunset, feeling adrift, and watching time pass.


Overall, "The Medication Is Wearing Off" is a meditation on time, reality, and the struggle to maintain agency in a world that constantly threatens to strip it away.


Line by Line Meaning

See the watch she gave me?
Did you notice the watch she gifted me?


Well it still ticks away
It's still counting time, but it's not mine.


The days I'm claiming back for me
I'm taking my life back into my control.


The medication's wearing off
The drugs that kept my mind in check are fading away.


Gonna hurt not a little, a lot
It's not going to be easy when reality sets in.


Keep on tickin' you're not lickin' me
The watch may be ticking away, but I won't let it defeat me.


Step on a crack break your mother's heart
There are superstitions that hold little value.


Red light green light black
Life has many intersections and signals, but it's often a blur.


Suicide e-mail do not delete
The words you leave behind hold much significance.


Plug it back in the jack
Get reconnected to the world around you.


Start to be what they want you to be
Fitting into norms and expectations can get exhausting.


And you see yourself as they see you
It's not easy to hold onto one's identity in a world that demands conformity.


Sunrise on the corner of
A new day is coming.


Sunset and Alvarado
However, it may all come crashing down in the evening.


I think what the hell do I do now
Uncertainty looms over the future.


Watch the day disintegrate
As the day progresses, one can sense hope fading away.


So I can stay up late and wait
Desperation sets in, people start clinging onto every shred of possibility.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARK O. EVERETT, MICKEY PETRALIA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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