blacknwhite13 July 2nd, 2009 09:29PM  
I heard somewhere that during WW2 they had Coke(the soda) but at the time it had something in them which made each case cost 20$. The substance in them made people get nosebleeds, hence the name 20 Dollar Nosebleed. Benzadrine is a drug in Ampetamine(if I spelled it right). Smoke rings obviously are from either cigarettes or marijuana joints. But basically you could say that this song is about a drug addiction.

anonymous July 17th, 2009 09:32PM  
"when I look at the man who wouldbe king, the man who would be kind goes to a desert the same war his dad rehearsed, came back with flags on coffins and said we won, oh we won!" is talking about George W. Bush and how he did cocaine before that totally makes sense! thanks!

aSensationalist November 25th, 2009 05:53PM  
I personally think the second verse is about the crusades. I remember laerning about them last year and just thinking, woah, this sounds like 20 dollar nose bleed... But then again the English lost... Kay, scratch that.

Alternative.to.you December 30th, 2009 12:49AM  
20 dollar nose bleed is the title of the song because the song is taking about using drugs as an escape from reality: "have you ever wanted to dissapear?"... the title is about cocaine because somepeople snort cocaine with dollar bills, cocaine causes nose bleeds too. The song also talks about an how you lose others after an addiction and the feeling of a dazed, stoned life : "permiinate jet-lag... im a stray dog sick" and "please let me in"

anonymous February 19th, 2010 12:31PM  
"Call me Mr Benzedrine" benzedrine is a drug since Benzedrine is used for nasal purposes thats why the song is intitles 20 dollar nose bleed.

anonymous April 13th, 2010 07:43PM  
I think you are all idiots. This song may have something to do with the whole idea of coke. But Benzedrine is a bronchodilator (a drug that relaxes and dilates the bronchial passageways and improves the passages of air into the lungs), but later on, people took out the strips and took them orally as a drug because of the side-effects. It would cause neediness, anger, confusion, and others. Which would mainly explain Brendon's part. But, as for the second verse, it's about Bush and his Dad. His dad was in office before he was, in case you didn't know. I'm Canadian and I even know that. Think about things.

anonymous May 21st, 2010 04:22PM  
I think the character is bad and wants to be convert their life style:
"Have you ever wanted to disappear?
and join a monastery
Go out and preach on manic street"

but when he goes to sleep he forgets that he is supposed to be being good and ends up doing bad things:
"where will I be when I wake up next to a stranger
on a passenger plane, passenger plane
Permanent jetlag
Please take me back, please take be back"

Benzedrine, I think is the drug that keeps ou awake so to not do bad things they take the Benzedrine and don't want to be cured:
"Call me Mr. Benzedrine (Mr. Benzedrine)
and don't let the doctor, I wanna blow off steam"

He looks at people who are labeled as good and think they actually aren't, probably worse off than he is:
"It feels like 14 carats but no clarity
When I look at the man who would be king
The man who would be king goes to the
desert to sing war his dad rehearsed
came back with flags on coffins and said
we won, oh, we won"

anonymous May 31st, 2010 12:49AM  
I really think the Song is about Someone who is on some sort of drug (call me Mr. Benzedrine) and decides to "blow off steam" at things he hates in the world (bush going to war and millions of soldiers dying.) half of it may just be ramblings about life and how he feels and thinks (the whole monestary and airplane part) while he is going through many of the side effects (neediness, etc. like the other person said) of the drug he's on. I especially think this because of the last spoken part. So basically, all of you are partially right, from my point of view. (:

anonymous June 4th, 2010 12:43AM  
"Only one book really matters
The rest of the proof is on the television"

Does anybody have an interpretation of these lines?