Opiate For The Masses was a Phoenix, Arizona-based quartet whose sound has … Read Full Bio ↴Opiate For The Masses was a Phoenix, Arizona-based quartet whose sound has a combination of influences including Tool, Depeche Mode, SOAD, Guns 'N Roses, KMFDM, Cannibal Corpse, Metallica, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and Ween. Twist and grind them all into a fresh, original package and you have Opiate For The Masses.

Opiate For The Masses split up in 2009.

Drown
Opiate For The Masses Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've got a drownin' sickness
I gotta breathe and fix this
I gotta get me outta here
With every time I feel this
I fight to not reveal this
I hide the hand that shakes in fear

Heavy in this ocean all around

Tired of swimming in this sickness I have found

Wake me when I drown
Breathe it in to sleep again

I've got a drownin' sickness
I gotta breathe and fix this
I gotta get me outta here
I'd try to verbalize this
If I could realize this
So many things I can't see clear

Heavy in this ocean all around
Tired of swimming in this sickness I have found

Wake me when I drown
Breathe it in to sleep again
Wake me when I drown
Shed my skin
I'm born again

I've got a drownin' sickness
I gotta breathe and fix this

I've got a drownin' sickness
I gotta breathe and fix this
I gotta get me outta here

Wake me when I drown
Breathe it in to sleep again
Wake me when I drown

Shed my skin
I'm born again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Opiate For The Masses' song "Drown" convey the metaphorical feeling of drowning in life's struggles and the desperation to escape from them. The singer is expressing his overwhelming sense of feeling pulled under by the weight of his problems, as if he is drowning in an endless ocean. He acknowledges that he needs to face reality and fix his issues, but at the same time, he is terrified to reveal his vulnerability and weakness. The line "I hide the hand that shakes in fear" emphasizes his inner turmoil and the need to put up a brave front.

The chorus further emphasizes the suffocating feeling of being trapped and unable to get out of the situation. The singer desires to be awoken from his hypnotic state and be saved from the struggles that are drowning him. He is asking to be born again, as if shedding his skin and taking on a new identity could help him escape the struggles.

Line by Line Meaning

I've got a drownin' sickness
I am struggling with a feeling of suffocation.

I gotta breathe and fix this
I need to address this problem head on.

I gotta get me outta here
I need to escape my current situation.

With every time I feel this
This feeling recurs frequently.

I fight to not reveal this
I suppress outward expressions of this feeling.

I hide the hand that shakes in fear
I conceal my anxiety and vulnerability.

Heavy in this ocean all around
The burden of this feeling is overwhelming.

Tired of swimming in this sickness I have found
I am exhausted from trying to cope with this feeling.

Wake me when I drown
I wish to be saved when I am at my lowest point.

Breathe it in to sleep again
I rely on this feeling for comfort and familiarity.

Shed my skin
I want to transform into a new version of myself.