Whipping Boy
Shearwater Lyrics

If I told you once, then I told you twice
Despite warning you about the consequences, I still went ahead and did what I wanted to do

That I would have paid just about any price
I was willing to do anything to achieve my goal

Just to see him jump, just to see him laugh
My desires were petty and cruel, all I wanted was to see someone suffer

I would have washed in the blood of an innocent man
I was willing to do the unthinkable to satisfy my morbid curiosity

Let the whipping boy ride
Let the one who suffers the consequences of my actions bear the pain for me

The boy says to the wolf, "You're gonna be my dog"
The boy asserts power over the wolf, taking away its identity and reducing it to subservience

The boy ties the wolf to a fence post
The boy physically restrains the wolf, asserting his control over it

The wolf says, "Boy, if you're gonna be my man / Let's see how you fit in those britches"
The wolf challenges the boy to prove his worth as an equal, rather than as a cruel master

I found a river that doesn't run to the sea
I found something that doesn't follow the expected path, that defies convention

I found a river through the dead lands
I found something beautiful and unexpected in a place that is otherwise barren and lifeless

I found a river that's been beaten by the sun
I found something that has endured and survived harsh conditions

But a river that never did surrender to the sands
Despite immense hardship, this river never gave up, continuing to flow and persist

Let the whipping boy ride
Again, the singer wishes to make someone else suffer the consequences of their actions

I want to see him
The singer is fixated on their twisted desire for someone else's suffering