Honey
Jason Molina Lyrics


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The smoke tastes like gray lead
It's killing her head
She finally let him have it
Here practice yelling at yourself instead

She nearly burned the town again
With the look that she gave him
She covers her heart with her hands and says
A little useless praying never hurts anything

It's like nothing's got a pulse
In this whole damn place
Right down to the clocks
Nothing's got a pulse

Remember darling how quiet it got
Leave her alone, let her go home
So she don't have to see you
How pathetic you can be

So she won't hate herself to death
Know what I mean
She's covering he heart with her hands and says
A little useless praying never hurts anything

That must be her up there
Perfume and cigarette smoke in her wild hair
She smells a little like a train
Hauling lilacs through the rain

I can't tell that she's crying
I'll pretend again
But she sees them total destruction
As she goes running to them

I'm finally showing her the switch
How I learned to hold it
In my teeth
How she's got to keep

One razor sharp bloody piece
Of her old broken heart
How she's got to use that edge to carve
Across her new heart

Something deep enough to hurt
So it always reminds her




Deep enough to last
Darlin' honey, watch your ass

Overall Meaning

The song "Honey Watch Your Ass" by Jason Molina tells a story of a woman who is trapped in a toxic relationship. The singer of the song is warning her to leave her abusive partner and take care of herself. The smoke tastes like gray lead, and it's killing her head implies that the woman is smoking to escape the pain or that she is being poisoned by the toxic relationship. When she nearly burned the town again with the look that she gave him, it shows how intense her emotions are, which can lead to self-destructive habits. She prays and covers her heart with her hands, which indicates that she is still hopeful and does not want to lose faith.


The chorus indicates that everything around the singer seems lifeless and dull, including the clocks. This shows that she is stuck in a place where nothing is progressing, and there is no chance for growth. The line, "so she won't hate herself to death," is perhaps the most poignant in the song. The woman has been blaming herself for everything that has gone wrong in the relationship, and the singer is warning her to stop doing so. Finally, the song ends on a note of hope. The singer tells the woman to watch her ass, implying that she can take care of herself and make a better life for herself.


Line by Line Meaning

The smoke tastes like gray lead
The cigarette smoke tastes terrible, like poison


It's killing her head
It's causing her a lot of pain and discomfort


She finally let him have it
She finally yelled at him and expressed her anger


Here practice yelling at yourself instead
It's better to yell at yourself instead of taking it out on others


She nearly burned the town again
She almost caused a lot of damage or harm again


With the look that she gave him
With the angry or threatening expression on her face


She covers her heart with her hands and says
She protects her heart and prays


A little useless praying never hurts anything
Praying may not make a difference, but it can't hurt either


It's like nothing's got a pulse
Everything seems lifeless and without energy


In this whole damn place
In this entire area or situation


Right down to the clocks
Even the clocks seem to lack a heartbeat or energy


Remember darling how quiet it got
Do you remember how quiet and still everything was?


Leave her alone, let her go home
Don't bother her, let her leave and go home


So she don't have to see you
So she can avoid seeing you


How pathetic you can be
You are so pitiful and sad


So she won't hate herself to death
So she won't feel so bad about herself that it leads to self-destructive behavior


Know what I mean
Do you understand what I'm saying?


That must be her up there
I think I see her up there


Perfume and cigarette smoke in her wild hair
Her hair smells like both perfume and cigarette smoke


She smells a little like a train
She has a strong scent, like a train passing by


Hauling lilacs through the rain
Carrying flowers, even in difficult or rainy conditions


I can't tell that she's crying
I can't see that she's crying, but I suspect she is


I'll pretend again
I'll act like everything is fine, even though it's not


But she sees them total destruction
But she sees the potential for complete destruction


As she goes running to them
As she runs towards the source of that potential destruction


I'm finally showing her the switch
I'm finally teaching her how to use the switch


How I learned to hold it
How I learned to control it


In my teeth
With my teeth, like a weapon


How she's got to keep
How she needs to maintain control


One razor sharp bloody piece
One sharp and dangerous piece, that's covered in blood


Of her old broken heart
From her previous heartbreak and pain


How she's got to use that edge to carve
How she needs to use that sharp edge to protect her new heart


Across her new heart
Over her new heart, to protect it


Something deep enough to hurt
Something that's powerful enough to cause pain


So it always reminds her
So she never forgets


Deep enough to last
Powerful enough to be effective for a long time


Darlin' honey, watch your ass
Be careful, honey, and protect yourself




Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Jason Molina

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Daniel Cowman

Thanks for posting this.

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