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Song, Morphine what is it about?

Re: Morphine- finding out about it

Hello :waving:
You're very Welcome* I hope that I've imported enough insight for you about the song in which you questioned... so it makes me happy that I could help you some. I love all of Michael's albums to me they are a whole piece of art in which you can pick apart & Blood On The Dance Floor is a part in which is genius. I love the song "Superfly Sister" too! I recommend you buy the album :yes:
(going to check pm)

:heart:
souldreamer7
 
Re: Morphine- finding out about it

^Thanks for posting the actual lyrics--they're almost impossible to find on the web! I don't remember whether I analyzed the incorrect fan lyrics, or these actual lyrics when I wrote in the other thread. Oh well.
 
Re: Morphine- finding out about it

thank you so much for sharing
 
Re: Morphine- finding out about it

You guys are welcome. :)

:heart:
souldreamer7
 
The more I listen to this song, the more genius I think it is. I love it as much as I love Placebo's "My Sweet Prince," except that one is pretty obvious, and "Morphine," in my opinion, is a more sophisticated effort. Even without the lyrics, the chaos of the music itself, followed by that rueful interlude where he just speaks the parts, describes the experience to a T.

It's always been my favourite MJ song, hell, even my favourite song altogether. It's unique, and strangely gutting--indirect, yet brashly direct at the same time.

Sorry for resurrecting a dead thread, but the song has been on my mind lately.
 
Thx for bringing up this thread again, I didn't read it before. I'm deeply impressed by your interpretation, Severus Snape (Mikage?) but also by the comments of all the others here.

When I heard this song first, I felt the tragic of Michaels life in it. Yes, I think Michael is talking about himself. There's so much pain in that song. Pain, anger and despair.

Anyhow, I really love Morphine, because I feel Michael wanted to tell us his very private story.
 
^I agree. Yes, I used to be known as Mikage Souji around these parts (and still carry that username on other sites). I'm glad you liked my interpretation, I know there's a dispute over what the actual lyrics are--apparently, most places carry the incorrect set of lyrics, as has been brought to our attention. That just adds more to the song's genius, I think.

I too think this was based on a personal experience, but I think he wrote it when he was over it. It could be based on his 1993 addiction, I think that's the safest bet, and he wrote about it years later in reflection. Like I said, the song is different from other drug-themed songs I've heard (another great one, like I posted previously, is Placebo's "My Sweet Prince", a song about chasing the elusive high with any given drug/about heroin specifically are the two main interpretations of that one). "Morphine" has that "retrospect" feeling to it, it's more clear and definitely more angry than any other I've heard--Placebo's is almost romantic, although it too conveys feelings of sadness.

Opiates are incredible, which is why they're horrendously addictive, both psychologically and physically. Of course, morphine is an opiate, in fact, the most infamous one of the 20th century (I gave examples of historic addicts, i.e. Hermann Göring, who was never able to kick the habit). This is why doctors nowadays are very careful in prescribing even weaker ones like vicodin, because even those can prove to be very addictive. If you've ever seen "House," you will know the protagonist of that show is probably the most famous vicodin addict in contemporary fiction. He's a good example because there are a lot of doctors who are themselves addicts, so that facilitates their habit, if anything.

It's all really quite dangerous.
 
What a great thread!

I never realized that part "You heard what the doctor said?" and that it comes from the Elephant Man movie! Wow!


I think those lyrics are still not correct.

He got flack, baby
Kicked in the back, baby
A heart attack, baby
I ain't your rival!

In my opinion that's not "I ain't your rival". It sounds more like "I hate your body". The last word is definitely not "rival".

A hot fix, honey
 He dug the ditch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
So unbeloved!


"A hot kiss, honey" and I'm not sure about "so unbeloved". To me it sounds closer to "so unreliable".

A hot fuss, baby
He want the buzz, baby
Another drug, baby
You're so deserving!

To me that sounds "You're so desirable!" and not "deserving".

She never cook for me
 She never bump, baby
I've gotten what, baby?
You're just a rival!

To me it sounds like "she never cut for me".


A razor blade, Daddy
 Right up your leg, baby
You're throwing shade, Daddy
So undeserving!

"Always to please daddy" and "so undesirable" in my opinion.

Ya got s.hit, baby
Your dog's a b.itch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
You are a liar

"You are THE liar".
 
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I copied them from the Taiwan import. That's the only offica lplace I've ever seen them printed...although like I said in my above post There could be diferences. I agree. Glad that you like the info. on the Elephant Man clips.

:heart:
souldreamer7
 
The song, written and composed entirely by Jackson, is one of his most experimental and brilliant creations.
It is a confession, a personal intervention, a witness, and a warning.
Click to expand...
In a nutshell I feel the above is the best description of the song. Michael is taking us through the experience through the process of addicition. Being seduced by it, Controlled by it. The conflict of love and hate for it. The intervention and a warning of the dangers. Its certainly is not a song glorifying morphine, demeral or addiction.

It may or may not have been his personal experience but I tend to think it was based on the passion
of the music and lyrics. He did go into rehab in 93 and called it a cleansing experience.
 
^No. I really don't think the song takes a stance either way, at least not directly (meaning: it's not some preachy tripe). It's more of an exposé of what drug addiction is like--whether or not the story has any roots in Michael's personal life is of secondary importance to me, as far as I'm concerned, it tells the experience to a T. Of course, like many, I also suspect it had to do with the 1993 addiction he had, because the time frame of when the song was released allowed him enough time to reflect upon his experience--and you can tell the song does not seek to paint drug use in a positive light. On the contrary, it paints a chilling and tortured portrait, the chaos and the noise, with those beautiful interludes of clarity and sorrow, only to be followed by more noise.

I gave the "My Sweet Prince" example as a basic compare/contrast between a song which seeks to expose the madness of drug addiction ("Morphine"), and one which tells the experience with a tinge of romantic melancholy ("My Sweet Prince"). In the former, the drug is a source of shame and chaos, something which the protagonists wanted so desperately to escape, whereas in the latter, it is a saviour with only a hint of shame attached to its allure, and its protagonist wants to remain wallowing in its treacherous waters.

It's really fascinating how two songs with similar themes can be so different--it's like looking at facets of a brilliant diamond. I think there's great genius in both, with "Morphine" being the superior work.
 
idk...morphine.....his dog being a bitch(i hate when that happens man lol).......digging ditches(i guess to hide the bitches body)....i'm guessing he asked someone to buy him a dog but they bought a bitch instead of a male...he real mad.....he tricks the dog into taking morphine.....kills it....digging ditches(i guess to hide the bitches body)..something like that


*didn't read thread*
*sarcastic post for you overly serious posters out there*
 
I was always wondering this too. I don't think the whole album is about drug abuse because "Superfly Sister" is about how much "love" has changed (or thats what I get from it)
 
wow i never saw the morphine lyric sheets before! kinda eerie to me :unsure:
 
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