From band site: UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES, THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE is about … Read Full Bio ↴From band site: UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES, THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE is about the hero of the story, who is returning to the town where he shot the devil in order to finish him off. He is walking across the desert "with blood on his breath" ready to finish what he started. The chorus features the amazing William Elliot Whitmore on backup vocals. He sang to us in the studio through a telephone by the side of the road in Texas, and our producer Dan Goodwin was able to raise the volume enough so you can hear it.
The chorus paralels the hero to the Christian act of transubstantiation, where, upon eating and drinking the wafer and wine at mass, they actually become the body and blood of Christ. In his case, "Buckshot is his bread, and he'll drink whiskey instead..." PS: since this song has come out, thanks everyone for the whiskey.

Until Morale Improves The Beatings Will Continue
Murder By Death Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I walked the road from Tucson to San Antonio with the smell of blood on my breath

ninety days of sweat and dirt feels like one night when you've got nothing left
till there's nothing left to do but die

buckshot is my bread and I'll drink whiskey instead of water cause I can't stand to be sober in this place

your hands on my face every step of the way tryin' to peel away the pain

well buckshot is my bread and I'll drink whiskey instead of water cause I can't stand to be sober in this place

your hands on my face every step of the way tryin' to peel away the pain

I'll drink whiskey instead of water
I'll drink whiskey instead of water

I'll drink whiskey instead of water
I'll drink whiskey instead of water

Overall Meaning

The opening lines describe a long and exhausting journey through the desert, likely taken by a cowboy or some sort of outlaw. The smell of blood suggests a violent past and the singer's use of buckshot as bread and whiskey as water indicates a rough and tough lifestyle. The repetition of "I'll drink whiskey instead of water" emphasizes this point and suggests that the singer may be using alcohol to cope with the harsh reality of their life.

The later lines in the song suggest that the singer may be haunted by past trauma, with someone else trying to "peel away the pain" from their face. This adds another layer of complexity to the song and shows that the tough exterior presented earlier may not be the entire story. The repeated phrases and simple lyrics create a sense of a bleak and unforgiving world, where the only option is to keep pushing forward until death.

Line by Line Meaning

I walked the road from Tucson to San Antonio with the smell of blood on my breath
I endured a long and gruesome journey from Tucson to San Antonio, with blood on my breath serving as a reminder of the brutal nature of the trip.

ninety days of sweat and dirt feels like one night when you've got nothing left till there's nothing left to do but die
The intense physical and emotional toll of the journey was so great that it made 90 days feel like a single night, leaving me with no purpose but to wait for death.

buckshot is my bread and I'll drink whiskey instead of water cause I can't stand to be sober in this place
My only source of sustenance is buckshot, and I prefer to drink whiskey instead of water to avoid the harsh reality of where I am and what I must do.

your hands on my face every step of the way tryin' to peel away the pain
You are here with me, trying to ease my pain, but the journey has caused such trauma that it cannot simply be wiped away with every step.

well buckshot is my bread and I'll drink whiskey instead of water cause I can't stand to be sober in this place
Once again, I am expressing my reliance on alcohol to cope with my surroundings, knowing that soberness would only bring more pain.

I'll drink whiskey instead of water
This is a recurring and important line that emphasizes the character's need for alcohol as a means of survival.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADAM MICHAEL TURLA, MATTHEW TAYLOR ARMSTRONG, SARAH JACKSON BALLIET

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS