Criminal
Five-Eight Lyrics

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Your plastic flowers
Mark the spot
On the side of the road
Your spirit hits the air
Like jumping off into the quarries cold
Metal is twisted
Firebird is lifting off of the ground
Its tires are blistered

So deeply scared of dying that we die
Oh ambulance you take your time
To take me from the scene of the crime
Often I'm left to pay to play
For the ride of my life
Oh, lady of the highway
Say your prayers for me
Cause I'm so deeply...
When I'm walking off to work
What comes to mind
With my hands in my pockets I left you lying
And now somewhere deep inside my head is the guilt

Of my imagination you know I'm
Deeply scared of dying that we die...

Overall Meaning

The song "Criminal" by Five-Eight is a haunting and complex meditation on guilt, death, and the fragility of life. The opening lines, "Your plastic flowers/Mark the spot/On the side of the road" suggest the aftermath of a car crash, with flowers marking the place where someone died. The singer contemplates this death and what it means for those left behind, with the line "Your spirit hits the air/Like jumping off into the quarries cold" suggesting a sense of fear and foreboding.

As the song continues, the focus turns to the driver of the car that caused the crash. There is a sense of deep remorse and guilt, as the singer imagines the other person's last moments: "With my hands in my pockets I left you lying/And now somewhere deep inside my head is the guilt/Of my imagination you know I'm/Deeply scared of dying that we die". The idea of "pay to play" suggests a sense of karmic debt or punishment for the driver, who is left to reckon with the consequences of their actions.

Throughout the song, there is a sense of desperation and helplessness, as the ambulance takes its time to arrive and the Lady of the Highway is invoked in prayer. The use of vivid imagery, such as the twisted metal and blistered tires of the Firebird, adds to the sense of urgency and danger.

Overall, "Criminal" is a powerful and emotionally charged song that explores some of the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Line by Line Meaning

Your plastic flowers
The fake flowers you left at the accident site

Mark the spot
Identifying the location of the incident

On the side of the road
Where the accident happened

Your spirit hits the air
The sense of you is still around

Like jumping off into the quarries cold
The feeling of diving into freezing water

Metal is twisted
The damaged car after the collision

Firebird is lifting off of the ground
The car is getting towed away

Its tires are blistered
The tires are damaged from the impact

So deeply scared of dying that we die
The fear of death is so strong that it affects our lives

Oh ambulance you take your time
The slow response time of emergency services