anonymous June 26th, 2007 07:23AM  
It's about drugs and alcohol. The first part about how his speech is slurred means that he's so drunk but he needs to talk to someone. This person is in a mental hospital and apparently has been there for a long time "on first name basis with all the top physicans"
he has to take pills because he's "insane"
"That's when you stu-stu-stutter something profound
To the support on the line" basically that means that he dialed into a help line and needs someone to talk to. I guess the next part means that he lost his girlfriend/wife/ someone he loved to this problem. He said I am alone in this bed house and head...so that means quite litterally that he is alone in this world.

anonymous June 26th, 2007 07:49AM  
Somebody had made the refrence of "a cut above all the rest"? well that may be true. but how I thought of it was that other people were in there for suicide attempts, he just made one more cut or mistake that everyone else.

anonymous July 13th, 2007 10:51PM  
Hum this song is talking about Ryan's Dad battle with alcoholism...
may be I get the idea..

The hospice is
A relaxing weekend getaway
Where you're a cut above all the rest
Sick and sad patients
On first name basis with all the top physicians

Maybe its talking about that when his father was Like
On treatment for his alcoholism, AA, that Ryan was Relax
because he didn't have to deal with his father

anonymous July 25th, 2007 08:42PM  
I agree that it is most likely about Ryon's dad.

The name of the song "nails for breakfast tacks for snacks" is an expression that his father used to say to him. Possibly metaphorically telling him do this as to become tough and be able to handle things in a better way that he himself (his father) did with his alcoholism.

anonymous August 3rd, 2007 01:07PM  
Oh! the drug interpitation, think its a good one I see what your saying. When they say "prescribed pills to off set the shakes to off set the pills" is talking on how a person is taking the drugs to solve one thing and then takes to solve another problem, some thing like that...

anonymous September 1st, 2007 03:24PM  
'Watch your mouth
Oh, oh, oh
Because your speech is slurred enough
That you just might swallow your tongue'

This means getting drunk

'I'm sure you'd want, want to give up the ghost
With just a little more poise than that'

This means Denying the Holy Ghost (he's a Mormon remember)

'Or was it God who chokes
In these situations, running late?
No, no, he called in
Or was it God who chokes
In these situations, running late?
No, no, he called in'

He's questioning Heavenly Father

'That's when you stu-stu-stutter something profound
To the support on the line
And with the way you've been talking
Every word gets you a step closer to hell'

This means blaspheming

'I am
Alone in this bed, house, and head
And she never fixes this
But at least she...'

This means he's lonely without drink or the Holy Ghost

anonymous December 1st, 2007 08:31PM  
Wow. no no no no no!! yall don't get the point of this song! (yes I am from texas, I say yall) I just commented on "Build God, then we'll talk." I will say two things here that I said there. Firstly, ryan ross has a point to every song he writes. The main point of a song won't be how everybody takes too many pills. what does he care about pills? people get the wrong impression of panic. They think they are just mad at certain people in society and that's why they are emo. but seriously, they hate everybody. They hate society. They see that society is always the same: corrupt. by writing these songs, ross isn't trying to change the world - he's basically just complaining. life has patterns that never change - and that's it. but I do like the thought that "tacks" and "nails" are drugs. not because I agree with that statement, but because that is going in the right direction. The second statement I wanted to say was that panic uses symbols a bunch. by calling tacks and nails drugs, you are making them symbols. ryan ross and the rest of the band basically take all their ideals from chuck palahniuk, an author who is real depressing and if you ever want to figure out a panic song - you better have read some of his books. palahniuk uses symbols a lot. He also uses themes a lot. a common theme of palahniuk's work is the fact that life is fixing a fix that fixed a fix that fixed a fix that... do you understand? basically the same thing as taking a pill to offset the symptoms of a pill which offset the symptoms of a pill... Take this as an example. alcohol. why do some people drink it? to feel better after life's problems. what do you get? a hangover. what do you do? take a pill. In fact, the first part of the song refers to alcohol. "your speech is slurred enough..." ross uses the example of alcohol because I have heard that his dad was an alcoholic. This is just what I have heard, I don't know for sure that he was an alcoholic. So basically the pill stands for a fix to a problem, a so-called solution. but there are always side effects - "the shakes." when it says "take it a day at a time" it refers to the "take one time a day" that is written on prescriptions. but the words are obviously switched. It means that NO MATTER WHAT, day after day, you are going to take these so-called solutions (symbolically pills), compared to the fact that you CHOOSE to take (actual, not symbolic) pills everyday when you are sick or something. There is so much in this song, but like the other comment I wrote on "build god then we'll talk," I am sick of typing.

anonymous December 21st, 2007 09:07PM  
'I am
Alone in this bed, house, and head
And she never fixes this
But at least she...'

A person in the house alone trying to not go near the alcohol. It's not gonna fix anything, but at least it will... Indecision, drink it or not. :P

A song about his alcoholic dad who died because he couldn't stop.

anonymous April 25th, 2008 08:23AM  
"Watch your mouth oh oh oh because your speech is slured enough that you just my swallow your tongue." His father is drunk so his speech is slured and his dad is probably yelling at him

"Im sure you wouldnt want to give up the ghost with just a little more poise then that" Im thinking that he's saying I'm sure you wouldnt want to give up your old self like alcoholism and that he's trying to get rid of it by drinking more. ANd he isn't using poise to get rid of it or trying to be more polite. Not a very good word but yeah.

"or was it God who chokes in these situations running late oh no he called in" His father obviously making excuses like God would mess up in a situation like this. But ryan is obviously saying he wouldnt and that he would overcome it. I mean he wouldnt fall to the temptation of drinking.

Im not going to interpret the whole thing but that's what I think

anonymous November 8th, 2008 09:13PM  
It's about Ryan's father's alcoholism, it basically has a connection with the song relax, relapse. :)

anonymous December 14th, 2008 11:03PM  
Ryan Ross had a tough childhood with his dad being an alcoholic and such and this song obviously expresses it. I mean really, just the title is enough to say something about what the song would say. When your speech is slurred your obviously drunk. Talking about prescriptions means that Ryan would constantly have to struggle and urge his dad to take the medication. Being alone in this bed could mean that Ryan always felt alone in having to take care of his father.

anonymous April 1st, 2009 11:28PM  
"She" is Ryan's mother who abandoned them.

anonymous June 27th, 2009 10:12PM  
The title "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" was something Ryan's father used to say. I think the song is about Ryan's father's alchoholism, for many of the reasons above, too.

aSensationalist November 25th, 2009 07:11PM  
Kay, so I know the title is a quote, but just pointing out, in the book Rant, his mother puts tacks and other sharp objects in the food. I couldn't help but think of this song.