Junky Valentine
Rocco de Luca & the Burden Lyrics
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Do you use them to walk
All over me.
How's your head, my love
Does it rise and fall
Intuitively.
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
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