Poison Drum
Gang of Youths Lyrics
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He's calm and quiet with a heart of stone.
He fires a fire away that'll kill us all.
I'm not moving to a halfway house,
To work my hands for the temple.
How I'd die for pretty things on bigger walls,
And try to have it all,
And try to have it all.
I won't listen to the men on stage,
They want my share of the minimum wage,
And fear the final things that we could know.
I'm not seeing what the vicar sees,
To fall in love with the whole trapeze,
And stow the self away like a poison drum.
It's a sign that we'll be gone.
It's a sign that we'll be gone.
Yet when you walk there's a fire,
There's a fire in your bones.
And when they talk there's a liar,
There's a liar in their clothes.
And I'm not afraid of the ghetto lords,
They carved our names onto city walls.
But they lack the fire of faith that'll save us all.
And I'm not doing what I can't avoid,
To sell my soul for the trade and toil,
Of fate and final things before the soil.
To die to have it all,
To die to have it all.
Yet when you walk there's a fire,
There's a fire in your bones.
And when they talk, there's a liar,
There's a liar in their clothes.
Yet when you walk there's a fire,
There's a fire in your bones.
And yet when they talk there's a liar,
There's a liar, there's a liar,
There's a liar in their clothes.
There's no reason why we can't be loyal.
There's no reason why we can't be loyal.
There's no reason why we can't be loyal.
There's no reason why we can't be loyal.
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
I'm not afraid (I'm not afraid).
No I'm not, but I'm terrified.
And when you walk there's a fire,
There's a fire in your bones.
And when they talk there's a liar,
There's a liar in their clothes.
And when you walk there's a fire,
There's a fire in your bones.
And when they talk there's a liar,
There's a liar in their clothes.
I'm not afraid of the man next door,
He's calm and quiet with a heart of stone.
He fires a fire away that'll kill us all.
I am doing everything I can,
For the minds of men that I've never met.
Too tired from saving money just to save myself.
The lyrics of “Poison Drum” by Gang of Youths, are quite complex and weave together various themes and ideas, but one interpretation could be about the struggle between one’s individual desire for material success and the larger societal issues that surround them. The singer feels they are not afraid of the immediate dangers posed by the organizations and people around them, but they are frightened of the deeper and more existential risk of losing themselves. They express this through a series of contrasts, such as the fire in the “bones” versus the liar in the “clothes” of others.
The singer refuses to compromise and dilute themselves in pursuit of “selling my soul for the trade and toil”, and instead is working for “the minds of men that I've never met”. They recognize that the systems in place are both unfair and ineffective, with people on stage trying to claim a larger share of the minimum wage, while vicars seemingly want them to renounce themselves completely. Ultimately, the song suggests that loyalty is still possible, but it requires a willingness to confront the challenges and be “not afraid”, even in the face of terrifying realities.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not afraid of the man next door,
I am not scared of the individual living beside me who is silent and stone-hearted.
He's calm and quiet with a heart of stone.
He appears to be calm and composed, but his heart is as hard as stone.
He fires a fire away that'll kill us all.
He shoots a weapon that can take the lives of all of us.
I'm not moving to a halfway house,
I do not intend to relocate to a midway residence.
To work my hands for the temple.
To labor physically for a religious establishment.
How I'd die for pretty things on bigger walls,
I would be willing to lay down my life for beautiful art on larger walls.
And try to have it all,
And attempt to acquire everything that life has to offer.
I won’t listen to the men on stage,
I will not heed the words of the men performing on a platform.
They want my share of the minimum wage,
They are eager to take a portion of my minimal income.
And fear the final things that we could know.
They worry about the ultimate truth that we might uncover.
I'm not seeing what the vicar sees,
I cannot comprehend the perspective of the religious leader.
To fall in love with the whole trapeze,
To become enamored with the entire world of a circus act.
And stow the self away like a poison drum.
And conceal oneself inside, like a dangerous container of toxin.
It's a sign that we'll be gone.
This suggests that we will inevitably perish.
Yet when you walk there's a fire,
However, when you walk, there's an intense passion.
And when they talk there's a liar,
But when others speak, they are fibbing.
Yet when you walk there's a fire,
Still, when you walk, there's an intense passion.
There's no reason why we can't be loyal.
There exists no reason why we cannot be trustworthy.
I am doing everything I can,
I am putting forth every effort that I can muster.
For the minds of men that I've never met.
For the intellects of people that I do not know.
Too tired from saving money just to save myself.
Exhausted from accumulating finances solely for personal preservation.
Contributed by Cooper R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.