By 2008 The Blackwater Fever had gained national radio exposure from youth radio station Triple J, on the Home & Hosed (October) and Roots 'n' All (November) segments,and from that station's Unearthed competition for new unsigned bands. In November 2008 they released their debut studio album, Sweet Misery, where DeMarco had been replaced by Andrew Walter on drums.
By late 2010 the line-up was a trio with Hicks and Walter joined by Jed A. Walters on bass guitar and keyboards. However their second album, In Stereo (June 2011), had been recorded before Walters had joined, "[Jed] didn't contribute to this album but he'll definitely be making a big contribution to the next one." Their third album, The Depths, appeared in March 2013 Luke Saunders of Reverb Street Press compared it with the previous two albums "[its] another intriguing step forward following the solid foundations the band laid on their dark and gritty debut, Sweet Misery (2009) and its more refined, equally accomplished follow-up, In Stereo (2011).
Can't Help Yourself
The Blackwater Fever Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hammer in your hand
soon time and space won’t mean a thing
you can’t help yourself
Can’t help yourself
The city beat
strangers feed on flesh, stripped from your bones
you can’t help yourself
Can’t help yourself
When darkness falls
a killer on the prowl
his blade is sharp and cold and he bleeds you out
you can’t help yourself
can’t help yourself
The Blackwater Fever's song "Can't Help Yourself" evokes a dark and visceral view of the world. The opening lines "The needle falls, hammer in your hand" immediately bring to mind addiction and self-destruction. The following line "soon time and space won't mean a thing" suggests a feeling of being lost in a haze of drugs, detached from reality. The repetition of "you can't help yourself" adds to this sense of being trapped and powerless to stop repeating self-destructive behavior.
The second verse describes an urban landscape where the people are like predators, "strangers feed on flesh, stripped from your bones." The image is one of a city that chews up and spits out its inhabitants. The chorus repeats once again the feeling of being helpless, like a victim of circumstance.
Finally, the third verse plunges the listener into darkness and violence. The killer on the prowl represents the dangers of the world, the threats that lurk in the shadows. The fact that the killer "bleeds you out" reinforces the theme of being powerless and at the mercy of forces beyond one's control.
Overall, the song is a bleak meditation on the harsh realities of life, and the feeling that one is at the whim of forces that are beyond one's control.
Line by Line Meaning
The needle falls
The syringe falls from your hand as a result of your drug addiction.
hammer in your hand
You're in possession of a hammer, which implies a high potential for violence.
soon time and space won’t mean a thing
Your addiction is taking over, leading you to feel like time and space are irrelevant.
you can’t help yourself
You're aware of your addiction, but you can't seem to stop yourself.
The city beat
The fast-paced, urban lifestyle is leading you astray.
a red light rolling stone
You're always on the go, ignoring red lights and life's warnings.
strangers feed on flesh, stripped from your bones
Your addiction is leading you down a path where strangers are taking advantage of you and leaving you with nothing.
When darkness falls
At night, your addiction takes over, leading you into a dangerous state.
a killer on the prowl
You become a danger to yourself and others when you're in the throes of your addiction.
his blade is sharp and cold and he bleeds you out
This line is a metaphor for the damage your addiction is doing to you mentally and physically.
you can’t help yourself
Despite the harm you know it's causing you, you feel powerless to stop your addiction.
Contributed by Jack D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mark Reshetivsky
These guys are awesome!!! I'm trying to learn those sick riffs on guitar. Keep this music coming!!
Анатолий Данилов
The music, the voice, everything is gorgeous in this track!!! I've listened to it so many times, it always evokes emotions!!! Just fire!! A separate respect for losing !!
Nurburgringfast
The quality of this music is so epic. This is simply grand in every way.
Mastoura
Killer track....Keep up the great work boys
Metalhead 88
Heard this on the Following--immediately bought the full album on iTunes. Your music is killer. Please keep it up!
BlakeFPV
Man you guys rock!
Alex C.
Idk how I stumbled into here but im glad I found great music like this. Fucking sick! 🤘🇺🇸🇲🇽
Chang Alan
nicely done!!
great voice!!
#Thefollowing
KiloCharlieOne
I love when good tv shows introduces me to good music. When tv is getting it right..
Ihvann
DAMN THAT IS AWESOME!!!! LOVE IT