Littlethings by Bush Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Layers of Gavin Rossdale’s Lyrical Psyche
Lyrics
Every night
Loaded on wrong
And further from right
Spinning around
Two howling moons
Cause there always there
Whatever I do
The river is loaded
I’ve been there today
Took it some questions
She does me again
I’d die in your arms
If you were dead too
Here comes a lie
We will always be true
Going up
When coming down
Scratch away
It’s the little things that kill
Tearing at my brains again
The little things that kill
The little things that kill
Bigger you give
Bigger you get
We’re boss at denial
But best at forget
Cupboard is empty
We really need food
Summer is winter
And you always knew
Going up when coming down
Scratch away
I touch your mouth
My willy is food
Addicted to love
I’m addicted to fools
I kill you once
I kill you again
We’re starving and crude
Welcome my friends to
When Bush released ‘Littlethings’ off their album ‘The Science of Things’, they etched a permanent mark in the annals of post-grunge anthems. This track, characterized by its raw guitar riff and the distinct, gravelly vocals of Gavin Rossdale, serves as an enigma wrapped in the guise of a rock song. Often overshadowed by their mega-hit ‘Glycerine’, ‘Littlethings’ packs its own punch through heavy lyrical mystique.
At first glance, the lyrics are a storm of personal confession and abstract imagery. The theme is introspective, delving into the duality of human nature and the dichotomy that exists within the self. Rossdale’s poetic prowess invites listeners on a journey through the chasms of the inner mind, where battling contradictions and seeking emotional sustenance become a part of the everyday strife.
An Embattled Psyche: The Struggle Within
The opening lines ‘I bleach the sky every night’ signal a desire for purification or perhaps a need to erase the day’s grievances. Rossdale doesn’t just confront the external; he confronts the internal as well, symbolized by ‘two howling moons’, representing conflicting forces that are ‘always there.’ This speaks to the universal battle between one’s higher self and base instincts, consistently at odds, and constantly present.
‘The river is loaded’ suggests a mind brimming with thoughts, questions, and perhaps guilt, a state that resembles the turbulent waters of uncertainty. Rossdale extends this metaphor with ‘She does me again’, personifying the river. In this light, the river could be a metaphor for a significant other or life itself, constantly questioning and challenging him.
Eternally Bound: The Paradox of Love
The phrase ‘I’d die in your arms if you were dead too’ drips with dark, romantic fatalism. Here, love and death intertwine in a dance that is as passionate as it is morbid. It’s an expression of co-dependence and the intense vulnerability one feels when totally consumed by love.
Rossdale’s confession of lies and truth, of dying and living for love, encapsulates the idea that within even the purest forms of emotion, there exists a degree of manipulation and deceit. The need to be loved is so ingrained in the human psyche that we will endure, and even invite, falsehoods for the sake of connection.
Tainted Nourishment: The Hunger for More
‘Cupboard is empty, we really need food / Summer is winter, and you always knew’ could be interpreted as describing a barren state of being where emotional sustenance is scarce. This reflects the emptiness that festers within, regardless of external riches or successes. His partner, or perhaps life itself, is acutely aware of this desolation, further aggravating the condition.
Metaphorically speaking, the switch of seasons from summer to winter represents the unexpected reversals and the cyclic nature of life’s fortunes and miseries. Rossdale outlines the human condition — an unending search for something to satisfy, yet continuously faced with the harsh realities of life.
The Seductive Danger of Repetitive Destruction
Moving deeper into the labyrinth, the lines ‘I kill you once / I kill you again’ resonate not with physical violence but with the idea of cyclical harm. In relationships or personal behavior, there is often a pattern of self-sabotage or mutual destruction that individuals perpetuate, fueled by addiction or destructive tendencies.
Couple these thoughts with ‘We’re starving and crude / Welcome my friends to’, and the track ends with an open-ended invitation. It’s an acknowledgment of shared human weaknesses, an understanding that beneath our veneers of civility, there lies a more primitive, carnal nature that we’re simultaneously frightened and fascinated by.
The Anthemic Chorus: Haunting Repetition and Memorable Lines
‘It’s the little things that kill / Tearing at my brains again.’ The repetitive nature of the chorus hammers home the message that it’s not just the grand betrayals or tragedies that wear us down, but the accumulation of countless small grievances and worries. Rossdale hones in on the minutiae of the daily grind, how they incrementally chip away at our sanity and well-being.
Repetition is indeed a form of change, and through Rossdale’s lyrics, Bush stresses this point with almost agonizing clarity. Each return to the chorus resonates more deeply, creating an earworm that does more than just get stuck in your head—it invades your very thought process, urging you to consider which ‘littlethings’ might be tearing at your own peace of mind.
