Dead On Arrival
Legion Lyrics


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Tracks in his arm made him a man
No-one could understand
Each night he'd go out shooting skag
Met a pusher who sold him a bag
That's why he was...
Dead on arrival
Ran out of money so he stole a car
Tried to run but didn't get far
Sent to prison, no turning back
Saw his arm, weaned him off smack
That's why he was...
Dead on arrival
Solo - Pagès
Out on parole tried to keep calm
Finally died with a needle in his arm
Yes out on parole, tried to keep calm
Finally died with a needle in his arm

That's why he was...
Dead on arrival

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Legion's song "Dead on Arrival" tell a grim story of a man who was consumed by drug addiction. The tracks in his arm, which made him a man, were a symbol of his addiction and dependency on heroin. He was unable to find any understanding or compassion from those around him, and so he turned to shooting skag, or heroin, each night in an attempt to numb the pain of his existence.


One day, he met a pusher who sold him a bag that proved to be fatal. He died on arrival, having overdosed on the heroin he had purchased. He had stolen a car to afford the drugs, and was sentenced to prison as a result. While incarcerated, he was weaned off the drug, but upon being released on parole, he relapsed and ultimately died with a needle still in his arm.


Line by Line Meaning

Tracks in his arm made him a man
He was addicted to injecting drugs, which seemed to define and validate his manhood.


No-one could understand
He felt isolated and alone in his addiction because no one could empathize with the darkness he was experiencing.


Each night he'd go out shooting skag
Every night, he would go and inject heroin, the drug that he was hooked on.


Met a pusher who sold him a bag
He met a dealer who offered him the drugs he craved and sold him a dose.


That's why he was... Dead on arrival
The addiction he was trapped in ultimately resulted in his untimely death.


Ran out of money so he stole a car
When he ran out of money to fuel his drug addiction, he resorted to stealing in order to survive.


Tried to run but didn't get far
Even after committing a crime, he was unable to escape whatever pain was driving him to addiction in the first place.


Sent to prison, no turning back
He was penalized for his actions and was unable to undo his past mistakes.


Saw his arm, weaned him off smack
During his imprisonment, he was forced to face the harm that his drug addiction had done to him and was given assistance in quitting heroin.


That's why he was... Dead on arrival
Even though he seemed to have a way out of his addiction, it was ultimately too late as his body and mind had already begun to suffer from the detrimental effects of his prolonged drug use.


Out on parole tried to keep calm
After being released, he tried to stay level-headed and avoid making the same mistakes that led to his imprisonment.


Finally died with a needle in his arm
After struggling to recover from his addiction, he ultimately succumbed to it and died while injecting drugs.


Yes out on parole, tried to keep calm
He attempted to maintain his composure while out on parole - a second chance at life.


That's why he was... Dead on arrival
Unfortunately, his dependencies continued to consume him and he passed away as a result.




Contributed by Lillian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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