Gray Death
Xiu Xiu Lyrics

Beat beat me to death
The singer is asking to be beaten to death

I said it
Affirmation of the previous line

Gray death beat me
The pain the singer initially requests has become the misery of the 'gray death'

Jimmy is begging
A character named Jimmy is begging, possibly for mercy or for the artist to stop their pain

If you are expecting consolation
The artist is warning that they will provide no comfort

I will become outrageous
The singer will become even more extreme and upsetting than expected

if you expect me to be outrageous
Repeating the previous line for emphasis

I will be extra outrageous
Further emphasis on the artist's capacity for being upsetting

chew the corner off your mouth
The artist is threatening violence or harm, specifically to one's mouth

you have never liked the taste
The artist believes that the other person does not want to experience the artist's violent tendencies

Jimmy is crying
The same character, Jimmy, is now crying

You were beautiful when I loved you
The artist remembers a time when someone was beautiful to them

my little bank robbing boy
The person from the previous line was, at the time, a 'bank robbing boy'

you were beautiful when I lost you
The same person is no longer beautiful because the singer lost them

like whip covered in pins and glue
The action or event that caused the person to no longer be beautiful was painful, 'like a whip covered in pins and glue'

when will it end
The artist is wondering when this pain and misery will be over

oh when will it end
Further emphasis on the previous line

this sopping wet towel of stupidity
Metaphor for a situation or circumstance that is heavy and unpleasant, and perhaps characterized by a lack of awareness or intelligence

supplicated to the fawn
The singer is making a reference to a sort of mythological figure, adding a sense of futility to the metaphor from the previous line

fold back my pajama sleeves
The artist is preparing for something, perhaps an act of violence

take a look at what I have done
The artist is proud or satisfied with something they've done, which perhaps involves violence or harm

you can protect nothing
The artist is again threatening violence or harm, and asserting their power or control over the situation

Jimmy is in flames
The character Jimmy has now gone from begging to crying, and is now in flames, perhaps literally or figuratively

gray death beat me to death
Repeating the previous line, emphasizing the misery the artist is now in

Jimmy is aborted
The character Jimmy has now been 'aborted', which could mean any number of things, but is probably violent and unpleasant

beat beat beat beat beat beat
Repeating the original request for the others to beat the singer