Cure for Pain
Morphine Lyrics


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Where is the ritual
And tell me where where is the taste
Where is the sacrifice
And tell me where where is the faith

Someday there'll be a cure for pain
That's the day I throw my drugs away
When they find a cure for pain
Where is the cave

Where the wise woman went
And tell me where
Where's all that money that I spent
I propose a toast to my self control

You see it crawling helpless on the floor
Someday there'll be a cure for pain
That's the day I throw my drugs away
When they find a cure for pain





When they find a cure for pain
When they find a cure find a cure for pain

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Morphine's "Cure for Pain" reflect a deep-seated yearning for resolution – for an end to suffering, addiction, and emotional turmoil. The repeated refrain – "someday there'll be a cure for pain" – is a powerful mantra that underscores this desire. In the first stanza, the singer poses a series of questions, searching for answers to the elusive nature of life's mysteries. "Where is the ritual?" he asks. "Where is the taste? Where is the sacrifice? Where is the faith?" These are all existential inquiries, highlighting the singer's frustration that he cannot find solace in any conventional forms of spirituality or culture.


In the following stanza, the singer turns to more personal concerns. He wonders where the "wise woman" – a reference to the archetypal figure of the healer or shaman – has gone. He also laments the money he has spent chasing after elusive cures and solutions. Lastly, he proposes a toast to his self-control, suggesting that he has come to terms with the fact that he alone is responsible for his own fate.


As the song comes to a close, the singer imagines a future where pain has been eradicated. He envisions a world where he no longer needs drugs to numb his troubles, where he can throw them away with confidence. And yet, as the final verse reminds us, this future is still uncertain – "when they find a cure for pain" remains an elusive dream. This heightens the sense of yearning that pervades the song, underscoring the fact that the quest for inner peace is a lifelong journey that may never truly be completed.


Line by Line Meaning

Where is the ritual
I seek the traditions and customs that bring meaning to my life.


And tell me where where is the taste
I yearn for the sensations and pleasures that make life enjoyable.


Where is the sacrifice
I wonder where people's willingness to give of themselves has gone.


And tell me where where is the faith
I'm curious about where people's trust in the world and in themselves has disappeared to.


Someday there'll be a cure for pain
Perhaps one day we will discover how to eradicate the physical and emotional distress we endure.


That's the day I throw my drugs away
When that day arrives, I'll no longer need substances to temporarily relieve my pain or suffering.


Where is the cave
I wonder where the place of refuge or solitude that brings me peace of mind has gone.


Where the wise woman went
I'd like to know where the sagacious and experienced woman who could offer guidance and insight has gone.


And tell me where
Please, someone, share the truth with me.


Where's all that money that I spent
I regret spending all that money on temporary remedies to relieve my pain.


I propose a toast to my self control
I celebrate my ability to control my desires and impulses that lead to harm.


You see it crawling helpless on the floor
You witness my vulnerability and suffering that I can't seem to escape.


When they find a cure for pain
I hold onto hope that the day will come when we can finally cure the pain we experience.


When they find a cure find a cure for pain
I repeat it again as a mantra to keep my faith in the possibility of finding a cure.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: MARK J. SANDMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Zen Khan

Mr. Sandman was beyond his years. He would have still been putting out phenomenal music if he was still around. Morphine is a great band to listen to down the county roads and mountains of New Mexico. Peace and Love Everyone.

alex

That's where I was when I discovered this great music, a lifetime ago. :-)

Oren Wool

One of the many songs that changed my life. There's no cure for pain. None. Can't drink it away, can't drug it away. Maybe you can fill the holes with love, but it's no cure. And just as well there may no need to cure something so beautiful, so pure, as pain. For me the transition was that pain was a beautiful poetic result of loving and I can just keep on loving. Love on. Love on. Love on.

Antonella Spinella

Thanks, unknown guy. this was so much needed.

Cody Brady

You're everything I aspire to be man. Keep on keepin' on

Peter Gerstenzang

Oren Wool Excellent!

Shruggz Da Str8-Faced Clown

Something I think Mark might have been addressing in this song (and in many others of his songs, whether directly or indirectly -- both in Morphine and earlier bands) was how much loss his family experienced and how there's no escape from the pain of it all.  You see (for those who don't already know), Mark wasn't the first of his siblings to die prematurely.  Although the eldest of all of them, he was the last to die before their time.  His two younger brothers died before him -- one of them to mysterious circumstances that I don't believe have yet been resolved.  Of four children born to his parents, only one remains alive -- Mark's one and only sister.  I suggest to anyone who might be interested to look for Mark's mother's memoir "Four Minus Three"
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Minus-Three-Mothers-Story/dp/1419663941

26 More Replies...

xXRetroGamerXx

6 years sober from coke, psychedelics and pain pills and this song hits a thousand times over being high to it. And that says something RIP sandman Long live

Terrence Twomey

Music like this is the cure for pain. Love mophine.

Joel Fortenberry

I'd have to agree - I did feel better for a few minutes while listening. Everything is perfect here, nothing could be added to make this song better but to listen again

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