All Religions Are Beautiful
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but getting serious again...
'Badfish' by Sublime
[on the death from Heroin overdose of 28yr old Californian Musician Bradley Nowell]
As an ex opiate abuser (which is very similar by all means and accounts to heroin) here is my personal take on the song by line from experience. He ingeniously played on words here. It is amazing how someone who is oblivious to drugs can take this song in the literal sense, as a song about surfing and being out on the water. For users, it's completely different in the metaphorical sense as he is referring to using and addiction. Also, I think he used the word 'reef' with a double meaning. In my opinion, the addiction and marijuana, but not sure. My take will be in parantheses:
When you grab a hold of me
You tell me that I'll never be set free
(Speaking to the drug itself and possibility of becoming addicted OR referring to people around him warning him of the addiction which is now becoming an issue)
But I'm a parasite. Creep and crawl I step into the night
(Parasite to me refers to how you feel as an addict. He's now addicted at this point and like a "parasite" has latched on....to the drug. Creep and crawl, going out for his fix at night trying to go unnoticed because to some extent he's ashamed at what he's doing)
Two pints of booze
Tell me are you a badfish, too?
Ain't got no money to spend
I hope the night will never end
(This part I don't think has much underlying meaning other than drinking with someone and by 'are you a badfish too' asking what drugs they f--k with for the chance that they're into what you do. Which brings the next point, 'no money to spend' if they ARE into the same drugs, hopefully they will share so you get your fix and 'night will never end' continue to do so throughout the night)
Lord knows I'm weak
Won't somebody get me off of this reef?
(I'm addicted. I need help and am too weak to "get off of this reef"-drug alone)
Baby, you're a big blue whale
(I can only imagine the big blue whale is in reference to heroin because he's acknowledging the severity and size of the problem. Blue whales are beautiful but also huge and daunting)
Grab the reef when all duck diving fails
(Reaching for "reef"-marijuana when all "duck diving"-heroin seeking efforts have failed)
I swim but I wish I never learned
The water's too polluted with germs
("I swim"-shoot up "never learned"-wishes he would've never started using because "the water"-his blood is now "polluted with germs"-dirty and tainted by drugs)
I dive deep when it's ten feet overhead
("I dive deep"-I go balls out "when it's 10ft overhead"-when the drugs of choice or funds are available in excess and get a hold of as much as possible. Because when the product or funds are limited life can be hell and as a user, you always want as much as you can get your hands on whenever possible)
Grab the reef underneath my bed
(Chasing his high with "grab the reef"-marijuana or again, referring to heroin. Not really sure about these previous 2 lines, just guesses)
Ain't got no quarrels with god
Ain't got no time to grow old
(I think he's saying he's a good person aside his faults/addiction-"no quarrels with God" and is accepting his inevitably early fate-"no TIME to grow old" or second possible meaning, he hasn't the time to grow old and continue battling his addiction)
Lord knows I'm weak....
When you grab a hold of me
You tell me that I'll never be set free
(Speaking to the drug itself and possibility of becoming addicted OR referring to people around him warning him of the addiction which is now becoming an issue)
But I'm a parasite. Creep and crawl I step into the night
(Parasite to me refers to how you feel as an addict. He's now addicted at this point and like a "parasite" has latched on....to the drug. Creep and crawl, going out for his fix at night trying to go unnoticed because to some extent he's ashamed at what he's doing)
Two pints of booze
Tell me are you a badfish, too?
Ain't got no money to spend
I hope the night will never end
(This part I don't think has much underlying meaning other than drinking with someone and by 'are you a badfish too' asking what drugs they f--k with for the chance that they're into what you do. Which brings the next point, 'no money to spend' if they ARE into the same drugs, hopefully they will share so you get your fix and 'night will never end' continue to do so throughout the night)
Lord knows I'm weak
Won't somebody get me off of this reef?
(I'm addicted. I need help and am too weak to "get off of this reef"-drug alone)
Baby, you're a big blue whale
(I can only imagine the big blue whale is in reference to heroin because he's acknowledging the severity and size of the problem. Blue whales are beautiful but also huge and daunting)
Grab the reef when all duck diving fails
(Reaching for "reef"-marijuana when all "duck diving"-heroin seeking efforts have failed)
I swim but I wish I never learned
The water's too polluted with germs
("I swim"-shoot up "never learned"-wishes he would've never started using because "the water"-his blood is now "polluted with germs"-dirty and tainted by drugs)
I dive deep when it's ten feet overhead
("I dive deep"-I go balls out "when it's 10ft overhead"-when the drugs of choice or funds are available in excess and get a hold of as much as possible. Because when the product or funds are limited life can be hell and as a user, you always want as much as you can get your hands on whenever possible)
Grab the reef underneath my bed
(Chasing his high with "grab the reef"-marijuana or again, referring to heroin. Not really sure about these previous 2 lines, just guesses)
Ain't got no quarrels with god
Ain't got no time to grow old
(I think he's saying he's a good person aside his faults/addiction-"no quarrels with God" and is accepting his inevitably early fate-"no TIME to grow old" or second possible meaning, he hasn't the time to grow old and continue battling his addiction)
Lord knows I'm weak....
'Big Blue Whale=Heroin
Interesting to read about Neil Young and His Heroin addiction 'Rust' being the name of a famous Album
and 'Zuma' being another...In an article about 'Zuma' in 'Songfacts' He says He wrote 'Cortez the Killer' awakening the morning after after consuming 5 Burgers? the previous night for some reason? and was unaware of Aztec culture except for what He had learned in High School?
some commentators point out that Young may have been in a depressed state after a relationship breakdown as He includes some oblique lyric references in the female gender? others make the connection to the name 'Cortez' and the Male 'Conquistador' Ego.
Actual Blue Whales are rarely seen but known to come very close to shore in what is now known as the 'Sea of Cortez'
in Baja Mexico... Maybe Young's 'enhanced creativity' wasn't quite all it seemed..?
'Birdie Powder'=Heroin
'Babysitter'= Marijuana
etc etc see link below
old man..
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