Poison!
O'Brother Lyrics

I’ll hold my tongue from idle speech to keep my mind fed
I will refrain from speaking without thought and instead focus on feeding my mind with meaningful ideas.

Did I trade intent for futile means in the process?
Have my actions lost their purpose by focusing too much on the means to an end?

I guess there’s a whole in the bottom of my head my sense has fallen out
I feel like I’ve lost my common sense and reasoning abilities.

I’ve seen the sickness reside in the belly of the righteous
I have observed the wickedness that can sometimes be found in those who consider themselves morally superior.

A disease that trained a gluttonous eye to feast upon the wicked
This sickness has taught people to be greedily attracted to sinful behavior.

And I could pretend that it won’t but it’ll be my ruin too
I cannot ignore this disease and pretend it won’t affect me as well, as it will lead to my own downfall.

(I give it all)
This represents the idea of putting all of one's energy and effort into something.

Will you watch me drown in a pool of my thickening blood?
This is a plea for someone to save the artist from the disastrous consequences of their own actions.

My rigid limbs sprawl around. I fear that I’m going down.
The artist is feeling helpless and out of control in the face of their own mistakes.

Stung by the incessant drone of some siren calling me out.
The artist is feeling weighed down by the constant reminders and warnings of their own failings.

Oh dear I heard the sound
This is a realization that the singer is now aware of the problems they’ve caused.

Now I’m hung like an overcoat with some poison fruit in my mouth.
The artist is weighed down by their own mistakes and regrets, represented here as poison fruit that they must carry with them.

Oh god, It’s dragging me down, Louder and louder still, spinning looms by which I am bound
The singer is feeling like their own mistakes are pulling them under, with no escape in sight.

This wasn’t right, but it’s what I needed
The singer acknowledges that they made a mistake, but felt it was necessary at the time.

And I wouldn’t lie, to feed my indifference
The singer is admitting that they may have made bad choices in order to avoid dealing with their own emotions and feelings of apathy.