Children
portugal the man Lyrics

Birth me of blood oil
Create me using the same raw materials as the oil industry, with a reference to the violence and conflict that accompanies it.

Salt sugar water pales
The singer's skin is pale and lifeless, like a corpse preserved in salt water, sugar, and vinegar.

Build me black jesus
The singer constructs a symbol to represent their beliefs, but chooses a version of Jesus that reflects their own suffering and despair.

Cause jesus can't save me
Despite the artist's hopes, their faith has not saved them from the hardships they face.

Shackles pulling at your hair
The artist feels bound and restrained by external forces that threaten to tear them apart.

Shine me from roots out
The singer seeks a transformation that begins deep within, starting at their core and radiating outward.

Wash me form the neck down
The singer wants to be cleansed of their sins and impurities, particularly those that come from the neck up (i.e. the mind).

Cut me fat stores
The artist wishes to be rid of the physical and emotional burdens that weigh them down.

Take me to the tree line
The artist seeks a place of refuge and solitude, surrounded by nature and free from human influence.

I'm a heading down down down
The artist is descending into darkness and despair, with no clear way out.

Down to the river cause I don't believe in medicine
The singer rejects the notion that medication or other treatments can cure their pain and suffering.

I'll crawl out shaking pale
Even if the artist manages to survive their ordeal, they will emerge weakened and fragile.

Always got the answer I got ears all around me
The singer may be isolated and alone, but they possess knowledge and insight that others do not, and they are constantly listening and learning from the world around them.

Burn up in black smoke
The singer fears being consumed and destroyed by the negative forces that surround them.

Thick and pouring down your throat
The singer experiences a suffocating sensation that feels like a thick liquid being poured down their throat.

Make me of bread walks
The artist wishes to be grounded and nourished, like bread that sustains the body and spirit.

Listen up with ears we're diving
The artist encourages others to pay attention and dive deep into their own experiences and emotions.

Tell your children we got another year coming
The singer acknowledges the inevitability of time passing, but also suggests that there is still hope for the future.

Oil stands the legs this body speaks in tongues
The singer's body is both supported and threatened by the oil industry, which has given them the power to speak out against it but also threatens to destroy them.

And croaks "I'm heading down"
The artist's voice is weak and hoarse, a sign of their deteriorating health and mental state.

I'll walk down to the river where we met our pales
The artist returns to a place of significant personal history and regret, hoping to gain closure or redemption.

Filled and spilling like our southern friends
The artist is surrounded by abundance and excess, but also sees the negative consequences of this lifestyle in others around them.

Met that pale atop the rocks and moss
The singer recalls a particular moment or memory that shaped their current state of being.

Grass grips licks about our heels and bends
Nature serves as a stabilizing force for the artist, clinging to them even as they try to move forward.

In lines we can only get higher
Through connection and collaboration, the singer seeks to rise above their circumstances and transform themselves and their community.