Snow Patrol - How to be Dead
Download Snow Patrol’s “The Final Straw”
Song: How to be Dead
Artist: Snow Patrol
Album: The Final Straw
Why this song? “How to be Dead” is one of those songs that you listen to one time through, and you know you are going to be hooked for the long run. There is no chance of this song growing old on me. From the lyrics to the musical stylings of the song, I am all about it.
I enjoy songs that are lyrically thought-provoking, and you need to think in order to find out what is really going on. There are songs that you listen to a hundred times and, you “know” the words, but you have no idea what the true meaning behind the words are. This would be one of those songs if you don’t sit down and read what is going on.
The song builds progressively on an argument, and the pieces of why they are fighting become clearer and clearer as it progresses. The blame seems to be passed equally through the parties, but then the final verse shows what is really going on and where the root of the fight stems.
Lead singer, Gary Lightbody, does well to describe the denial, and slight acceptance, of what drugs can do to a person. I think this song does well to capture the thought process of a person addicted to anything, even if it’s not drugs. (’Please take it easy it can’t all be my fault / I haven’t made half the mistakes / That you’ve listed so far / Oh baby let me explain something / It’s all down to drugs / At least I remember taking them and not a lot else / It seems I’ve stepped over lines / You’ve drawn again and again / But if the ecstacy’s in the wit is definitely out / Dr. Jekyll is wrestling Hyde for my pride‘).
The original problem they are fighting about is left to the imagination, but the bottom line is that the blame was placed on something that should have never been used as an excuse. The progression is believable and true to life. The way a human being reacts to being confronted with something they have done wrong is chronicled to perfection in this song.
This is a song with substance and touches a chord with anyone who has had an addiction, whether it is gambling, drugs, or anything else that causes a person to make poor decisions that hurt others around them. All this meaty goodness is wrapped in a musical package that makes the entire juicy affair a very intriguing and enjoyable listen.
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