Junky Valentine
Rocco de Luca & the Burden Lyrics


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How's your legs
Do you use them to walk
All over me.

How's your head, my love
Does it rise and fall
Intuitively.
Smoke and pills and wine
Are waiting here for you
My junky valentine.

How's your hands
Do you use them to hold
Or thread the needle

How's your arm my love
Do you use them
To shun me away

Destruction is by design
I'm waiting here for you
My junky valentine.

And I give to you this note
So circle "yes" or "no"
Yes or no





Destruction is by design
I'm waiting here for you

Overall Meaning

The song "Junky Valentine" by Rocco de Luca & the Burden explores themes of addiction, codependency, and destructive relationships. The lyrics are addressed to a lover who is struggling with addiction and the singer is codependent on this person, waiting for them to return despite the destruction that the addiction brings. The first lines ask about the lover's legs and head, using the bodily functions as a metaphor for the lover's actions and thoughts. The lover is seemingly walking all over the singer, causing pain, while their head rises and falls, indicating that their mind is controlled by addiction.


The second verse asks about the lover's hands and arms and whether they use them to hold or push the singer away. The imagery of threading a needle suggests precision and control, but it's unclear whether the lover is able to control their addiction. The chorus reinforces the addict's hold on the singer, with smoke, pills, and wine waiting for them, even as the singer is aware of the destruction that is "by design." The repeated use of "my junky valentine" implies that the singer is unable to separate their love for the addict from the destructive behavior.


Overall, "Junky Valentine" is a poignant and somber exploration of the struggles of addiction and codependency. The lyrics are filled with strong metaphorical imagery that conveys the pain and conflict of a relationship torn apart by addiction.


Line by Line Meaning

How's your legs
Asking how powerful and dominant their presence is in the relationship


Do you use them to walk
Questioning if they use their physical presence to assert control over the singer


All over me.
Describing the overwhelming and suffocating effect of the other person's dominance


How's your head, my love
Asking if they have control over their thoughts and emotions


Does it rise and fall
Wondering if they are volatile and unpredictable in their behavior


Intuitively.
Acknowledging that their instincts are unreliable and potentially dangerous


Smoke and pills and wine
Listing the substances that are associated with their destructive relationship


Are waiting here for you
Implying that the artist has prepared a place for them in their toxic world


My junky valentine.
Comparing the other person to an addictive drug that the artist cannot resist


How's your hands
Asking if they are capable of tenderness and affection


Do you use them to hold
Questioning if they are willing to offer comfort and support


Or thread the needle
Asking if they are skilled at bringing together opposites and repairing damage


How's your arm my love
Wondering if they are capable of reaching out and embracing the singer


Do you use them
This is an incomplete sentence and doesn't convey meaning on its own.


To shun me away
Asking if they are pushing the singer away and rejecting their attempts at intimacy


Destruction is by design
Suggesting that their relationship is intentionally harmful and toxic


I'm waiting here for you
Expressing the artist's willingness to continue the cycle of harm and destructiveness


And I give to you this note
Offering a token of affection, however small


So circle "yes" or "no"
Asking the other person to make a choice between staying in the unhealthy relationship or leaving it


Yes or no
Repeating the plea for a decision, emphasizing the gravity of the situation


Destruction is by design
Reiterating that their relationship is intentionally harmful and toxic


I'm waiting here for you
Emphasizing the artist's willingness to continue the cycle of harm and destructiveness




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Deluca, Rocco

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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