Golden
M. Ward and Jim James Lyrics

She speaks to me in Persian
The girl he speaks of is like an exotic, unfamiliar language that he is attracted to.

Tells me that she loves me
She expresses her affection, despite being a destructive force.

The girl with golden eyes
He is bewitched by her beauty and allure.

And though I hardly know her
Despite the fact that he does not know her very well.

I let her in my veins
He's succumbing and addicted to her spell, despite her controlling and negative influence.

And trust her with my life
He trusts the girl with his life, even though he knows she'll take it from him.

I wish I had never kissed her
He has come to regret ever being involved with her.

'Cause I just can't resist her
Although he knows it's not healthy, he cannot resist the temptation she represents.

Every time she whispers
He is pulled in every time she reaches out and speaks to him.

'Take me in your arms
She requests his embrace for her own twisted purposes.

The way you did last night.'
She wants him to hold her like he did the night before.

Everything will be okay
He holds out hope that everything will be okay if he can break free from her.

Everything will be alright
He repeats this line to reaffirm that it will be alright when he is away from her influence.

If I can get away from her
He understands that his only hope is to escape her grip.

And save my worthless life.
He realizes that his survival depends upon breaking away from her.

Day one. Dope free.
The person is attempting to detox from drug abuse - this drug may be heroin.

I went to the clinic today and got the first dose of methadone.
This sentence reinforces the idea that the artist is struggling with heroin addiction and is now seeking treatment for it.

I'm out of dope so I threw away all my rigs.
The singer has taken measures to rid themselves of their drug paraphernalia and supplies, hoping to avoid temptation.

Day two. I can't believe it's been two days without junk.
The singer is surprised by their ability to go 2 days without using drugs and feels a sense of accomplishment.

F***ing smack, it just ruins peoples' lives.
The artist is cursing heroin and understands that it has caused profound damage to addicts' lives.

At first it seems so sweet, then you wake up next to a monster.
The artist acknowledges that although using heroin may initially seem pleasurable, it ultimately becomes a terrible cycle of addiction.

Day three. I haven't had anything for three days now.
The artist continues to abstain from drugs and is keeping track of how many days it's been since using heroin.

This withdrawal is killing me. It's like shock therapy to my guts.
The singer is currently experiencing the painful symptoms of drug withdrawal and likens it to a brutal form of medical treatment.

Day four. Last visit to the clinic. My whole body feels like it's cracking into pieces.
This is the artist's final visit to the clinic in order to receive methadone treatment. They are still experiencing painful symptoms of drug withdrawal.

Fragile doesn't even come close to describing how I feel.
The singer is feeling extremely vulnerable and weak, and being 'fragile' doesn't fully capture how bad they feel.

Day five, I'm sick as a dog, but this handful of painkillers...
The singer is still experiencing symptoms of drug withdrawal but has resolved to take painkillers to cope.

and a lotta whiskey's gonna get me through.
The singer is using alcohol as a way to cope with the pain and withdrawal symptoms.

Day six, when I'm left to my own devices I go fucking insane.
The artist is worried that they will be unable to control their addictive behaviors when left alone.

I'll never use heroin again.
The artist is determined to break their addiction to heroin and never use again.

Day seven, I can't believe I'm clean!
The singer has made it a full week without using drugs and is in disbelief that they have been able to stick to this choice.

Day eight, everyone says I look better
The physical signs of the singer's drug addiction are beginning to become less noticeable to others.

Day nine, the parasites are panicking
The 'parasites' is a metaphor for the addiction and unhealthy behaviors that the artist is fighting against. They are struggling to cope with their absence.

Day ten, they seem amazed that I'm alive!
The artist has been successful in overcoming their addiction to heroin and others are surprised that they have made it this far.

Everything will be okay
This line is repeated to reinforce the artist's hope and optimism that everything will work out in the end.

If I can get away from her
The 'her' being referred to is likely the addiction to heroin, which has consumed the singer's life.

And save my worthless life.
By breaking free of heroin addiction, the artist may finally be able to reclaim their life and start anew.

Everything will be alright
This line drives home the idea that breaking free from addiction will bring about positive changes in the singer's life.