The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Row… Read Full Bio ↴The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. After attracting Virgin Records, the duo achieved further success with second album Dig Your Own Hole (1997), which topped the UK charts. In the UK, they have had six No. 1 albums and 13 top-20 singles, including two chart-toppers.

Their name came about in 1995 after they dropped their original moniker the Dust Brothers due to the existence of a different band with the same name. In the United States, they have won six Grammy Awards including Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album of the year as recently as 2020.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chemical_Brothers

Studio albums
Exit Planet Dust (1995)
Dig Your Own Hole (1997)
Surrender (1999)
Come with Us (2002)
Push the Button (2005)
We Are the Night (2007)
Further (2010)
Born in the Echoes (2015)
No Geography (2019)
For That Beautiful Feeling (2023)

The Pills Won't Help You Now
The Chemical Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Thought we were going
And go up the field away
And join all the other living souls
But you never came

Robbed of your fortune
You get disappointments in life
You're probably poisoning your body

I hope you're alright

In a moment of fear
You dig in your heels
The pills won't help you now
Once you're crying

Thought we were going
Go up the field away
Join all the other living souls
But you never came

Robbed of your fortune
You get disappointments in life
You're probably poisoning your body
I hope you're alright

In a moment of fear
You dig in your heels
The pills won't help you now
Once you cry

Robbed of your fortune
You get disappointments in life
You're probably poisoning your body
I hope you're alright

In a moment of fear
You dig in your heels
The pills won't help you now
Once you cry

In a moment of fear
You dig in your heels

The pills won't help you now
Once you cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Chemical Brothers’ song “The Pills Won’t Help You Now” explores feelings of disappointment and isolation. The first verse describes a plan to escape and join other living beings, but it’s clear that the singer’s companion never came, leaving them feeling robbed and alone. The chorus warns against relying on drugs as a solution to life’s problems, telling the listener that “the pills won’t help [them] now” once they start to cry in fear. The repetition of the second verse serves as a reminder that despite the attempt to escape, the disappointment and potential self-harm remain.

The song’s message is poignant and relevant, urging listeners to confront problems head-on and resist the temptation to escape reality through drug use. The lyrics also suggest a longing for connection and feeling seen that likely resonates with many people. The Chemical Brothers create a haunting atmosphere with their instrumentals and use of repetition, emphasizing the importance of the song’s theme.

Line by Line Meaning

Thought we were going
We had plans to leave and start fresh

And go up the field away
We were going away from everything

And join all the other living souls
We wanted to connect with others and be part of a community

But you never came
But you didn't follow through and abandoned our plans

Robbed of your fortune
You lost what you had most valuable in life

You get disappointments in life
You've experienced setbacks and your life hasn't gone as planned

You're probably poisoning your body
Your unhealthy habits may be harming you

I hope you're alright
I hope you're doing well despite everything

In a moment of fear
When you're scared

You dig in your heels
You become stubborn and refuse to move forward

The pills won't help you now
Taking drugs won't solve your problems

Once you cry
Once you start to show emotion