Garbage: Bleed Like Me Meaning

Song Released: 2005

Bleed Like Me Lyrics

Avalanche is sullen and too thin
She starves herself to rid herself of sin
And the kick is so divine when she sees bones beneath her skin
And she says:
Hey baby can you bleed like me?
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?

Chris is all dressed...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jan 16th 2007 !⃝

   This songs about Mental disorders and how people find relief. Avalanche has an eating disorder probably Anorexia. Chriss has a disorder were he dosent know his true gender. doodle is a "cutter". Someone who cuts themselves to relieve negative emotions. Speedie is a drug addict. JT is an alcoholic.
   
   When Manson says "Try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend" she's referring to the fact that its difficult for a person who never had a disorder to fully understand what its like to have one. The part were it says "You should see my scars" pertains to the fact that having a disorder is nothing to be ashamed of.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Zepher

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   Aug 8th 2005 !⃝

   I've heard a lot of people say that Shirley just put a bunch of people she knew into a song and just decided it would be the tittle of the CD.
   
   I don't quite think that's it... There is that possibility. But there is a story to be told whithin every character in each stanza.
   
   Avalanche:
   When you draw a mental picture of an avalanche, you can imagine something rushing down at great speed. Kind of like vomit. This gives the possibility that Avalanche may be bolimic or anorexic.
   
   Chrissie:
   There really isn't much to say about Chrissie. Other than he's a boy. Maybe Shirley inteded you to get an image of a girl applying make-up. Then when she sings "He's trying to figure out if he's a girl or he's a boy" it hits hard.
   
   Doodle:
   This one is probably the one that had me stumped until I noticed the three letter word that I overlooked. "Dad." You can tell that Doodle, by her name, draws or scribbles. To no surprise, on herself. That's pretty easy to figure out, right? Well, how about a cause? She cuts herself using her dad's scisors. As if her dad was the cause of her scars. It could be just over interpreting but... what's sharp and also penatrates? Perhap's Doodle suffers from parental rape. I know, it could be too much but Shirley says she lets her fans interpret her lyrics however they see fit, so :P
   
   Speedie:
   Speedie, obviously takes drugs, what drugs? I don't know... SPEED perhaps? Other than that, I have NO idea what Speedie's story is about. Shirl uses metaphor's out of my leauge.
   
   J.T.:
   J.T. has an alchohol problem. J.T. is also given a shout out in Bleed Like Me's lyric booklet. So I think this is where a lot of the fans got the idea that she just put a lot of her friends into a song and just made millions. Well... that could be so. In any case, when Shirl sings "getting all nostalgic as he sings I will survive" It could be interpreted in two ways:
   
   1. J.T. is old and remembering that song from when it was played on the radio or something.
   
   2. J.T. just got through a break up. Being that's the nature of "I Will Survive"'s lyrics.
   
   I think it's safe to assume the latter. It would explain the alchohol problem.
   
   As for the rest of the song, this is where Shirley stops being a storyteller and becomes part of the song.
   
   The previous stanzas were about other people. She was just story telling. Then at the end of the song, she says something along the lines of "This is their story, you should hear mine."
   
   Beautiful lyrics for such a wonderful song.
3. anonymous

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   Nov 9th 2011 !⃝

   The scenarios are about different characters who are all suffering and feeling isolated and on some level self-loathing. Even though they are similar because of their pain and struggles they act on them in different ways. One has an eating disorder, one struggles with his sexuality, one cuts herself but hides the scare,andone once used drugs and is in therapy. The last one may have a drinking problem but I think she's saying he hides his pain by partying and acting like he's having fun. Maybe he's singing "I Will Survive" because he wants to believe he will survive. They are all asking "can you bleed like me" because they want to know if others can empathize with them. At the end she says "you should see my scars" because the answer is yes, everyone bleeds. We may bleed for different reasons, but we all bleed. "You should see my scars" is a powerful statemement for a few reasons. One is that a person living with scars means they survived their pain. Another is saying "you should see" them means we should share our pain and know that others bleed too, both literally and figuratively.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2011 !⃝

   I believe the lyrics are all about people who can't find their places in life. Avalanche is most likely anorexic and suicidal. She may see herself as fat and starves herself to stay thin. Chris is most likely gay or bisexual. He is trying to figure out if he is male or female. Doodle cuts herself to find relief and is most likely depressed and suicidal. She uses her father's scissors to leave scars on her body. She hides her scars so nobody can tell. Speedie probably had a bad life so she is going to therapy to talk about maybe a failed suicide attempt. She most likely did drugs and attempted to kill herself when she thought life was getting to hard. And finally, J.T. might have an alcohol problem and broke up with a girlfriend. He goes to a bar and sings "I Will Survive", maybe a reference to him being suicidal or contemplating suicide
5. anonymous

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   Apr 25th 2006 !⃝

   They all tend to suicide, in a way or another, trying to finish with their lives or just denying their own existence as J.T.or Avalanche, I think Speedie's "bullet" may be shot by herself, its only that she, somehow, like the others , wants to be alive, that's the meaning of scars,you don't get to heal if you're dead, that's the point in the I will survive thing. The point is they all fall in a fake dispair, cause they would be dead if they did'nt have just a little bit of hope.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. Modlovecat

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   Aug 15th 2005 !⃝

   This is a great song, and it's very deep.
   
   As far as the interpretation, it's completely OBVIOUS; he spells everything out. The last person to post went a little too far by being completely obvious.
   
   Avalanche is anorexic (or bulimic in the sense that the other person pointed out). She feels accomplished and in control when she sees the bones coming through.
   
   Chris: She does this part incredibly artisticly, the name Chris could mean a boy or a girl, until you figure out that it's actually a boy trying to figure himself out.
   
   Doodle cuts, and it makes her feel relief. She is probably really young, that's why she says her pretty clothes, and that's why she says her dads scissors, because when you are young and you cut, you'll use anything you can find that is sharp.
   
   Speedie: Is in therapy for drug abuse and probably something to do with gangs. "dancing with the past" is better then "taking a bullet from a gun"
   
   JT: I'm not sure if theres really more to it, but JT gets drunk in a bar to feel better probably about a relationship that fell apart.
   
   Try to comprehend that which youll never comprehend: You can't fully understand until you've been there, and EVERYONE has scars.

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