Disease
The Tiger Lillies Lyrics


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He isn't deceiving, that's twenty this evening,
He's starting to feel rather sick.
The cubicle door, well it opens again,
He never quite gets used to it.

And the drugs in his veins, they don't ease the pain,
He started at sixteen and he is nineteen now,
His mother don't understand how.
He's got a disease, and he's not very pleased.
His life's almost over now.

And his funeral was a shame,
Because none of them came.





He's got a disease, he's not very pleased, his life's almost over now.
Yes he's got a disease and he's not very pleased cause his life almost over now.

Overall Meaning

The Tiger Lillies's song "Disease" is a poignant portrayal of a young man's descent into drug addiction and eventual demise. The first two lines of the song suggest that the singer is feeling ill after taking twenty of something, presumably pills. The repeated use of the phrase "He's got a disease" implies that he has a drug addiction that is consuming him. The line "His mother don't understand how" highlights the disconnect between the mother and her son and how she cannot comprehend the depth of his addiction.


Despite the efforts of medical professionals to help him with drugs to ease the pain, the singer's life is spiraling out of control. The line "His life's almost over now" emphasizes the hopelessness of the situation and how his addiction has taken over his life. The final verse is perhaps the most heart-wrenching, with the singer remarking that none of the people in the young man's life came to his funeral, reflecting the isolation that drug addiction can cause.


Overall, the song offers a stark warning about the destructive power of addiction and how it can overwhelm an individual's life and relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

He isn't deceiving, that's twenty this evening,
He's not lying, he's taken twenty pills this evening.


He's starting to feel rather sick.
The pills are making him feel unwell.


The cubicle door, well it opens again,
The bathroom stall door keeps opening.


He never quite gets used to it.
He can never get used to shooting up drugs.


And the drugs in his veins, they don't ease the pain,
The drugs he takes don't actually relieve his pain.


He started at sixteen and he is nineteen now,
He began using drugs at sixteen and he's now nineteen.


His mother don't understand how.
His mother doesn't understand how he got into this situation.


He's got a disease, and he's not very pleased.
He's addicted to drugs and he's not happy about it.


His life's almost over now.
His addiction is taking over and it's destroying his life.


And his funeral was a shame,
When he died, his funeral was poorly attended.


Because none of them came.
No one came to his funeral because he had driven everyone away with his addiction.




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