Kettering
The Antlers Lyrics
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In that first minute we met
The unpayable debt that I owed you
'Cause you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me To make up for that
When you had tubes in your arms
Those singing morphine alarms
Out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you a hurricane thunderclap
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I ought to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep and uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there Was no saving you
In the lyrics of The Antlers’ song Kettering, the singer appears to be speaking to a loved one who is dying in a hospital. He reflects on his encounters with this person from their very first meeting and wishes he knew “the unpayable debt” that he owed them due to the traumas they had endured before their time together. The singer notes that the unnamed loved one had been abused by someone or something, which had “refused” them, and had hired him to try to make up for this by providing love and care.
The singer then vividly describes the hospital environment in which his loved one is now confined, with “tubes in [their] arms” and “singing morphine alarms out of tune.” The phrases create an eerie, unsettling picture of the hospital and the circumstances of the loved one's death. He didn't believe the doctors that the loved one was dying, insisting that there was still hope to save them. Despite the loved one lashing out at him and telling him to leave, the singer remains with them until the end, caring for them in their final moments.
The song paints a poignant portrait of love and loss, examining the ways in which trauma and illness can strain even the closest of relationships. It wrestles with themes such as regret, guilt, and the limits of human care.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish that I had known
Regret for not realizing earlier the debt I owed you
In that first minute we met
From the moment we first met, there was an unpayable debt I owed you
The unpayable debt that I owed you
A sense of guilt and responsibility towards the person being addressed
'Cause you'd been abused
The person being addressed had been mistreated before
By the bone that refused you
The person being addressed had been rejected and mistreated by someone close to them
And you hired me To make up for that
The person being addressed asked for the singer's help in order to make up for the mistreatment they had previously experienced
Walking in that room
Recalling a specific moment when the singer entered a hospital room
When you had tubes in your arms
The person being addressed was receiving medical treatment
Those singing morphine alarms
The sounds of medical machinery while the person being addressed was medicated
Out of tune
The jarring and unpleasant nature of the medical sounds was difficult to bear
They had you sleeping and eating
The medical staff controlled the person being addressed's sleeping and eating habits
And I didn't believe them
The artist was skeptical of the medical staff's assessment of the person being addressed's well-being
When they called you a hurricane thunderclap
The person being addressed was perceived as powerful, but also destructive
When I was checking vitals
The singer was performing medical checks on the person being addressed
I suggested a smile
The singer made an attempt to cheer up the person being addressed
You didn't talk for a while
The person being addressed remained silent for some time
You were freezing
The person being addressed was cold and uncomfortable
You said you hated my tone
The person being addressed objected to the singer's attitude or approach
It made you feel so alone
The singer's tone contributed to the person being addressed's sense of isolation
So you told me
The person being addressed communicated a desire for the artist to leave
I ought to be leaving
The artist should have left the situation according to the person being addressed
But something kept me standing
Despite the negative response, the artist remained in the room with the person being addressed
By that hospital bed
The singer stayed close to the person being addressed in their hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
The artist should have left, but instead stayed with the person being addressed
I took care of you
The singer provided emotional and physical care for the person being addressed
You made me sleep and uneven
The situation with the person being addressed caused the singer to have trouble sleeping
And I didn't believe them
The singer still doubted the medical staff's words
When they told me that there Was no saving you
The medical staff informed the artist that the person being addressed was beyond recovery
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Peter Joseph Silberman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nawar Harou
Lyrics
I wish that I had known in that first minute we met
The unpayable debt that I owed you
Because you'd been abused by the bone that refused you
And you hired me to make up for that
Walking in that room when you had tubes in your arms
Those singing morphine alarms out of tune kept you sleeping and even
And I didn't believe them when they called you a hurricane thunderclap
When I was checking vitals I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while, you were freezing
You said you hated my tone, it made you feel so alone
And so you told me I ought to be leaving
But something kept me standing by that hospital bed
I should have quit, but instead I took care of you
You made me sleep and uneven
And I didn't believe them when they told me that there was no saving you
Tenda Tea
When I was 10, my mother lost the use of her kidneys and was put on peritoneal dialysis.
I did everything I could to help her, and as I got older it only became more obvious that things where not going to get better.
By the time I was 22, she was blind and immobile; but I always talked to her about everything. Even the smallest, dumbest things, just so I could see her reaction, or maybe crack a smile.
But when she died, I couldn't even bring myself to cry at her funeral. I told my family that I wanted to honor her memory by being strong, but honestly, I was just tired of crying.
A few years later, I saw this song on my YouTube suggestions.
It fucking broke me.
So many feelings I couldn't express either to my family or myself was suddenly thrown in my face.
I didn't realize how much I needed the rain
This is the only song from this band on my play list, but it will always hold a special place for me.
God bless you "The Antlers", you guys helped me more than anyone outside this comment section will ever know
juanjo
I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you
Because you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me
To make up for that
Walking in that room
when you had tubes in your arms,
those singing morphine alarms
out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you
A hurricane thundercloud
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I had to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep all uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you
shin dog
Two years ago, I watched my grandfather lose his battle to cancer.
The image of him laying in the hospice room will forever be engraved into my mind. The man that once had a fire that burned in him brighter than the one around him lost.
His wife- my grandmother died of a broken heart. She had cancer as well, and she died like a carbon copy of him. I grew to know the DMC very well.
Watching my grandparents die, take their last breath was traumatizing as a young child. But I believe it also shaped me into who I am today.
This song will always mean so many things to me. Of course that hospice room on the fifth floor is the most important one but so many other things in my life are represented by this song.
Thanks to the one who broke my heart for showing me this song, it’s one of the few good things you gave me.
Dzastater
Kettering
The Antlers
I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you
Because you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me
To make up for that
Walking in that room
when you had tubes in your arms,
those singing morphine alarms
out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you
A hurricane thundercloud
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I had to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep all uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you
Susan C
I had cancer since i was 16 i met a boy my senior year...he was the sweetest i begged him to leave and not love me. At the time i refused chemo i just felt life was done with me and there was no point in stopping it since it kept coming back after every surgery. He and i fell in love and i threw myself into getting chemo because he made the world seem a bit brighter. He'd stay in the hospital every round i had and was there when I'd come home. Loved me when my hair was falling. Loved me and stayed in my hardest moments where even my own family couldnt stay. I am in remission and he is still by my side.:)
Mikhail259
It is so rare right now, i wish good luck both of you l.:)
Stephen Schafer
That is amazing and I wish the best for you both 🙂
Love Baghdad
i hope you never lose each other
Marc
That was a beautiful read. Thanks for sharing your story.
Jaime De Carlos
Hope u never lose each other.
Dead is beautifull, Dont be afraid
JoJane
It reminds me of my dog. When I found her on the street, she was so small. We came a long way together, ever since. She was so sick she kept hiding in the bushes of my yard, expecting to disappear. I was crawling over there to take her out. She was the only thing I had at that time. I was living like a zombie praying for her to live, and she did. She survived everything and we're together since 6 years now here, on this funny planet ❤️
Freya Mikaelson
Sometimes you want to dance to music, sometimes you want to listen to the lyrics and think about the meaning, but right now, I just want to feel the music. Feel all the emotions and pain. The bazar beauty.
arun p
True
gengisld
I completely agree with you!