The band takes its name from the New Order song "Love Vigilantes," although their sound tends more to folk, Americana, and country rock than New Wave. Their 2001 album Summershine also showed some movement toward Brit-pop and R.E.M.-style college rock, which would be more fully explored in Mallonee's solo career.
Drunk on the Tears
Vigilantes of Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fare of the wicked men
Under the guise
Of sophistication
It′s poisoned my senses
And my sight needs correction
It's bad for my bowels
It′s been my staple
For so many years
It's hard to taste the wine
When you're drunk on the tears
Hey, we got new ways
To treat the soul
That succumbs
Electroshock and Valium
The 20th century
You don′t need salvation
We got chemists dedicated
To your recreation
Nicole works the streets
For 12 hours a day
She don′t charge much
For what she'll trade away
In a few short years
Her business will fade
That′s what happens
With the tools of the trade
Jim and Tammy
And Reverend Swaggart
They don't look like Jesus
And they′re a whole lot fatter
Don't miss the truth
For a stupid sideshow
Don′t confuse the cup
With the contents it holds
God, I need a drink
And I need one fast
Make it a strong one
One that'll last
Have You got anything
That's been selling brisk
For a soul diagnosed
At a terminal risk?
Jesus, lover of my soul
Let me to Thy bosom fly
I′m so weak, and I′m so cold
And the lambs in the West
So speedily die
Alibis roll off my tongue
I'm looking for ruins to hide among
I got a soul piled high to excess
With the wonderfully useless
And the frivolous
The praise due
Your name evades my lips
There′s no helping hand
On my fingertips
I used to be someone
Now I'm not worth a shit
I got a truckload of things
I′m trying to forget
Since back in the garden
On the first page
Something about the cradle
To the grave
The promise is broken
More promises made
All in the image
I've so defaced
Played out
On the pages of history
Dripping in blood
That flows from a tree
Where the Father and Son
Part company
Come back together
For you and me
I don′t know why You did it
What was Your motivation?
Crucifixion's not
A cool sensation
You had something to say
And You started to speak
The cross is the place
For Your coronation speech
The song "Drunk on the Tears" by Vigilantes of Love is a reflection on the state of the world and the singer's own life. The opening lines describe the singer's consumption of "the fare of the wicked men" under the guise of sophistication, indicating how society often hides the toxic things under a veneer of classiness. This consumption has poisoned the singer's senses, causing sight issues and affecting their bowels and complexion. Despite the physical harm it causes, the singer finds it hard to let go of this "staple" that they have been consuming for years. Their consumption has left them emotionally drunk on the "tears" of pain and despair.
The song also touches on societal issues like the abuse of drugs to treat mental health problems, the decay of morality in religious leaders, and the devaluing of human life in prostitution. The line "we got chemists dedicated to your recreation" highlights how society has turned to pharmaceuticals to deal with psychological issues instead of providing more holistic solutions. The mention of prostitution tells the story of Nicole, who works the streets for twelve hours a day and will eventually fade away like her business. The lyrics about Jim, Tammy, and Reverend Swaggart indicate how religious leaders have failed to embody the message of Jesus Christ, who they claim to serve. In doing so, they have missed the truth by focusing on externalities and "a stupid sideshow" instead of looking at the contents of the cup.
The song ends with an appeal to Jesus to help the singer forget the "wonderfully useless" and "frivolous" things that have piled up in their soul. The promise of salvation seems to have been broken, and the cross is the place of coronation for the singer to start anew. Overall, "Drunk on the Tears" is a poignant commentary on the state of modern life and an earnest plea for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I been eating
I have been partaking in something
The fare of the wicked men
That something is the sustenance of sinful people
Under the guise
Disguised as
Of sophistication
Refined and cultured behavior
It′s poisoned my senses
This behavior has affected me negatively
And my sight needs correction
It has clouded my vision and judgment
It's bad for my bowels
It has physically harmed me
And my general complexion
It has affected my overall health and well-being
It′s been my staple
I have relied on this behavior for a long time
For so many years
A significant amount of time
It's hard to taste the wine
I am unable to appreciate the good things in life
When you're drunk on the tears
When you are overwhelmed with emotions and sorrow
Hey, we got new ways
There are alternatives
To treat the soul
To heal the inner self
That succumbs
That falls victim to
Electroshock and Valium
Modern medical treatments
The 20th century
The last century
You don′t need salvation
Salvation is not required
We got chemists dedicated
Medical professionals specialized
To your recreation
To your pleasure and joy
Nicole works the streets
A woman named Nicole is a sex worker
For 12 hours a day
Working for a long time
She don′t charge much
She does not ask for a lot of money
For what she'll trade away
For what she will sell
In a few short years
Soon
Her business will fade
Her profession will no longer be relevant
That′s what happens
It's just the way things go
With the tools of the trade
With the instruments used in a profession
Jim and Tammy
Two people named Jim and Tammy
And Reverend Swaggart
A man named Reverend Swaggart
They don't look like Jesus
They do not resemble the Christian savior
And they′re a whole lot fatter
They are much more obese
Don't miss the truth
Do not overlook the reality
For a stupid sideshow
For a foolish distraction
Don′t confuse the cup
Do not mistake the vessel
With the contents it holds
For what it contains
God, I need a drink
I need something to soothe me
And I need one fast
I need it quickly
Make it a strong one
Make it potent
One that'll last
One that will endure
Have You got anything
Do you have something
That's been selling brisk
That has been popular and fast-selling
For a soul diagnosed
For someone identified
At a terminal risk?
At a point of no recovery?
Jesus, lover of my soul
Jesus, who cares for and nurtures my spirit
Let me to Thy bosom fly
Allow me to rest in your loving embrace
I′m so weak, and I′m so cold
I am feeble and disheartened
And the lambs in the West
The innocent creatures in the western lands
So speedily die
Dying rapidly
Alibis roll off my tongue
I easily make excuses
I'm looking for ruins to hide among
I am searching for apocalyptic wreckage to conceal myself in
I got a soul piled high to excess
I have an overabundance of emotional baggage
With the wonderfully useless
Filled with things that hold no value
And the frivolous
And things of slight importance
The praise due
The recognition deserved
Your name evades my lips
I cannot seem to speak your name
There′s no helping hand
There is no assistance
On my fingertips
Readily available
I used to be someone
I used to have significance and identity
Now I'm not worth a shit
Now I am practically worthless
I got a truckload of things
I have a vast amount of possessions
I′m trying to forget
That I am attempting to move on from
Since back in the garden
Starting from the time in the Garden Of Eden
On the first page
At the beginning of the story
Something about the cradle
Something about the beginning of life
To the grave
To the end of life
The promise is broken
The assurance has not been upheld
More promises made
Additional assurances given
All in the image
Representative of
I've so defaced
I have destroyed
Played out
Displayed or acted
On the pages of history
Detailed in the records of the past
Dripping in blood
Covered in blood
That flows from a tree
That comes from a wooden instrument of torture
Where the Father and Son
Where God and Jesus
Part company
Are separated
Come back together
Reunite
For you and me
To benefit us
I don′t know why You did it
I do not understand the reasoning behind your actions
What was Your motivation?
What caused you to act?
Crucifixion's not
Death by crucifixion is not
A cool sensation
A desirable sensation
You had something to say
You had a message to convey
And You started to speak
And You began to articulate it
The cross is the place
The place where You executed your message
For Your coronation speech
To proclaim your authority and kingship
Writer(s): Bill Mallonee
Contributed by Logan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.