After entering recovery early in his career, Wood was diagnosed with Bipolar and began treatment. He has since taken a new direction with his work, dedicated to giving back and using his music to raise money for mental health research and inspire others with their own struggles. He leads a reclusive life in Pennsylvania, rejecting social media with the exception of Patreon.
His release, “The Normal Album" is his first album following dropping "The Tapeworms" from his moniker. However the album still features Mike Bottiglieri, Mario Conte, Vater Boris, and Matt Berger. "The Normal Album" is his most polarizing, musically diverse, and lyrically dense album yet, explores the concept of normality through various lenses and alternating viewpoints, and features songs in every genre from disco to klezmer.
His last LP “In case I make It,” was released in 2022. In 2023 he released the live album “IN CASE I DIE”, before taking a hiatus from creating and releasing music which will last indefinitely.
The First Step
Will Wood and the Tapeworms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I hit the wall
I lost count after 21
In the college crawl
Well, I been a boozin′ bastard
They're callin' me Edward Forty-hands, I can′t touch anyone
With an enemy like me, who would need a friend?
Well, we've had enough power since the blackout started
For an EKG for the broken hearted
I try to see the glass as half full
But I′d probably just drink that too
Glass half full
I'd probably just drink that too
Well, I′m the reason they call it an "Irish Goodbye"
And I hope I don't choke on my vomit tonight
Well, I bet that the bottle of brandy′s so bitter'd
Be better than bitin' the bullet and betterin′ myself
Sorry if I slur
Take my anxiety and my sobriety
I′ll kill two birds with one stoner
So if you see me please, take my keys
I don't wanna be an organ donor
Well, we′ve had enough power since the blackout started
For an EKG for the broken hearted
I try to see the glass as half full
But I'd probably just drink that too
Glass half full
I′d probably just drink that too
Well, I'm going down and I′m taking you with me
I'm bringing the water to the horse
So bring me the hair of the dog that bit me
So I can clone it and have a little more, haha
Well, we've had enough power since the blackout started
For an EKG for the broken hearted
I try to see the glass as half full
Even when I′m empty, half full
I try to see the glass as half full
But I′d probably just...
(Ahhh!)
Glass half full
I'd probably just drink that too
I′d probably just drink that too
The lyrics of Will Wood and the Tapeworms's song The First Step reflect the feelings of a person under the influence of alcohol. The first verse suggests that the singer has had too much to drink and is now unable to feel any physical sensation - the reference to 'Edward Forty-hands' refers to a party game where the participant's hands are duct-taped to 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor or beer, and they cannot use their hands until the bottles are finished. The second verse hints at the singer accepting their label as a drunkard and stating that they prefer to be alone. The chorus highlights the singer's inability to find a positive outlook towards life or themselves, even though they try to see it in a better light.
The bridge repeats the chorus and adds two lines about being afraid of choking on vomit and not wanting to be an organ donor. The third verse describes the singer's addiction to alcohol and their desire to kill the two problems of anxiety and sobriety with a single stone. The final verse includes an allusion to 'hair of the dog', a phrase used to describe the practice of drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover. The song ends with the painful expression 'Ahhh!' indicating the singer's condition.
Overall, the song emphasizes how intoxication changes the perception of the world and how one's mind and body become disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
You could say I'm plastered
I'm drunk
'Cause I hit the wall
I've hit rock bottom
I lost count after 21
I've had more than enough drinks
In the college crawl
I've been partying hard
Well, I been a boozin' bastard
I've been drinking a lot
They're callin' me Edward Forty-hands, I can't touch anyone
I have to carry two 40-ounce bottles of beer with duct tape on my hands
With an enemy like me, who would need a friend?
I'm not a good person to be around
Nevermind, I'm drunk
I'm too drunk to care
Well, we've had enough power since the blackout started
There's been a power outage
For an EKG for the broken hearted
We have enough power to run an EKG machine
I try to see the glass as half full
I try to stay optimistic
But I'd probably just drink that too
But I'm probably too drunk to be optimistic
Well, I'm the reason they call it an "Irish Goodbye"
I'm known for leaving parties without saying goodbye
And I hope I don't choke on my vomit tonight
I hope I don't die from alcohol poisoning
Well, I bet that the bottle of brandy's so bitter'd
I think that the brandy is the lesser of two evils
Be better than bitin' the bullet and betterin' myself
Drinking the brandy is easier than dealing with my personal problems
Sorry if I slur
I'm apologizing in advance for slurring my words
Take my anxiety and my sobriety
I'll smoke weed to calm my anxiety and get high at the same time
I'll kill two birds with one stoner
I'll accomplish two things with one action
So if you see me please, take my keys
If I ask you, please take my car keys so I don't drink and drive
I don't wanna be an organ donor
I don't want to die from a car accident and donate my organs
Well, I'm going down and I'm taking you with me
I'm not the only one suffering, I'm making sure you suffer with me
I'm bringing the water to the horse
I'm doing something unnecessary or unhelpful
So bring me the hair of the dog that bit me
Give me more alcohol to cure my hangover
So I can clone it and have a little more, haha
I'm not really going to clone the dog or get more alcohol, it's a joke
Even when I'm empty, half full
I try to stay optimistic even when I'm not doing well
I'd probably just drink that too
But I'm probably too drunk to actually be optimistic
Writer(s): William Colligan
Contributed by Parker F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.