What do you think Dirt Room means?

Blue October: Dirt Room Meaning

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Album cover for Dirt Room album cover

Dirt Room Lyrics

I'm like a ghost
I'll be living in a dirt room
Waiting for the day to be close
To the window when you're home
I'll be standing by your back door
Reaching for the knife in my coat
I'm going to put it to your throat
Sweaty piggy, you're a...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 21st 2009 !⃝

    "the song ‘Dirt Room’. That song is basically about when I got sued by my former manager that I had when I was maybe 17-or-18-years-old who claimed that I had written ‘Hate Me’ during that time and he wanted a piece of that pie. Well, the pie wasn’t all that big, I mean, I am not rich. He slapped this huge lawsuit on me of God knows how much money and it’s in the American justice system that if someone sues you, then you have to defend yourself. So, this guy could have won by lying and it could have left me completely bankrupt and then there would be no more college fund for my daughter and no more food on my family’s plate and so I literally wanted to jump out of my skin and choke the guy but I couldn’t, and so 'boom' there you go. The lawsuit went through and he lied during the whole thing, so it all came to light." - Justin Furstenfeld

    This can be read at http://www.spheremag.co.uk/interviews/five-minutes-with/864-five-minutes-withblue-october

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 12th 2009 !⃝

    Like the other post, I realize it is obviously about revenge on someone. It is obviously too personal and detailed to be about him killing "drugs" or his psychological problems. After reading the history of Blue October, the article mentioned that they started under Universal Records.
    Eventually, their contract with Universal was dropped, but they went on playing without a label for a year. They eventually got back with Universal Records. I noticed their last two albums were with Universal, but the new one with "Dirt Room" on it is with Republic Records.

    The video goes along with the song, showing a woman catching a criminal in her house and pretending like she is going to bury him in the back yard. I don't think that is what it is about though.

    I am jumping to the conclusion that this is from the perspective of the lead singer, so naturally from looking at their situation, I feel he is addressing this song to someone at Universal who dropped Blue October's contract the first time and made them roam for a year without a label:

    You think you own me
    You should have known me
    You took the future and the food off my family's plate

    Then they were picked back up by Universal for the last two albums, but I am not sure of what happened. They are obviously with another recording company for this new album, so something didn't go right. I think Justin is mad because Universal only picks them up when they have a hit song out:

    You think you'll use me
    I'm stronger than you
    You take my money, but it's useless
    We'll see what I do to you
    Look what I do to you

    I think he is getting back at someone at Universal, or Universal altogether by dropping Universal and changing recording companies again, possibly getting someone at Universal fired:

    I really think that this is fun for the money
    I'll make it comfy for the time wasted making you rich

    And now I see you, oh
    'Cause your back's against the wall
    And finally you're mine
    You're mine

    The reference to taking a picture for the cover of their album makes it pretty obvious that he is talking about a first person experience for him or the band:

    I want to cover you in ants, bees and honey
    Then take a picture for the cover of our album!

    In the video, Justin sings "And finally you're mine", then
    distinctly holds up a $100 bill with "MR" written on it in marker, and then lights it on fire. Then continues signing the next line, "You're mine". I have a feeling whoever this song was addressed to has the initials M.R. (BTW, it was "MR" and not "Mr" or "Mr.")

    BTW, in the beginning of the video, they zoom in on a picture of two women. I am not certain, but it sure looks like Justin's mother (who was in the "Hate Me" video). Please someone confirm or refute.

    Excerpts from a Houston Press' interview with Justin in 2002
    "Universal decided to put 'Breakfast After Ten' out as a single, and I was like, 'What? That's like the worst song I've ever written,' " recounts Furstenfeld. "They said, 'Everyone loves it.' I said, 'Why, dude? I hate singing it.' Every night I'm making the set list and our road manager comes up to me and says, 'You have "Breakfast After Ten" on there, right?' I would say no. He says, 'You better put it on there.' Arrrrgh!
    Universal also wanted the band to tone down the drama and length of its concerts. Then of course there was the problem of the band's inimitability. "They said, 'You're a Texas band. You can't have a violin in a Texas band.' " Furstenfeld literally snarls his response: "Then why'd you fucking sign me? That's our lead instrument!"

  3. anonymous
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    Sep 15th 2015 !⃝

    I am Mike Rand and the song Dirt Room was not written me about as the song was written before I met the band.

  4. anonymous
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    May 20th 2012 !⃝

    The MR on the 100 dollar bill stands for Mike Rand. In crazy making (Justins Book) he says that mike rand tried to sue them for 1.5 million dollars. He also said to never ever trust or sign anything from Mike Rand. This explains
    "You took the future and the food off my families plate, you think you used me, I'm stronger than you, you take my money but its useless" there you have it

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 2nd 2012 !⃝

    Justin's book "Crazy Making" he states that MR is a man's initials (I will not name) that did some lyrical help as he wrote music for Foiled. Justin credited him for the songs MR did help with however Hate Me was not one of them. MR filed a lawsuit against Justin for claiming he wrote Hate Me on his own and Justin owed him a lot of money for it. Justin won the lawsuit and charges were dropped. The song was to MR trying to steal money from Justin by lieing.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 9th 2011 !⃝

    Oct 21st post is correct I just saw them in concert and that is basically what he told the audience Friday night.

  7. Theshadowmaster
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    Jun 13th 2011 !⃝

    I agree with the first interpretation. At one part he mentioned them getting dropped, they also have the song someone that's about the same thing.

  8. anonymous
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    May 13th 2011 !⃝

    This song is actually about not playing the victim in your life anymore. take control and kill your inner demons.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 30th 2011 !⃝

    I was at their concert recently and he said that it was because there was this guy that was suing him just trying to take all of his money for some bullshit reason. So it's pretty much about him. And I also think the guys' initials are MC because they burn a dollar bill with those initials in the video.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 21st 2009 !⃝

    "Final answer! The recording company Justin had to deal with up until his last album was a combined label : Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group.
    In 2006 Universal Republic and Universal Motown split due to the executives not getting along.
    In the video, M.R. (Motown Records) on the $100 is who he is addressing this slam to. He obviously had to deal with a lot of crap from them during his early years with Universal and now they are out of the picture. "

    In a song meaning video the band posted on their official Youtube page, Justin immediately says everyone wants to know what "MR" is, and he says the is not Motown Records.

  11. anonymous
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    Apr 29th 2009 !⃝

    He's from Houston, I think it's about the Enron scandal and how all who worked for Enron got screwed.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Apr 26th 2009 !⃝

    In the Blue October concert tonight that I just got home from, Justin stated that it was a song written in response to anyone, anyone at all, that would ever hurt his family or someone he loved.

    He was a bit more graphic in stating it, but this song is a description of what would be in store for anybody that messes with him.

    Straight from the proverbial horse's mouth.

  13. anonymous
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    Apr 19th 2009 !⃝

    I think the song tells a story about a kidnapper (maybe) and a victim who wants its payback

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Apr 11th 2009 !⃝

    well, i honestly have no idea about this song. i guess its about wanting to hurt an enemy but that was obvious. i heard on the radio that it was supposed to be inspired by the twilight saga but it doesnt look like it.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
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    Mar 17th 2009 !⃝

    Final answer! The recording company Justin had to deal with up until his last album was a combined label : Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group.
    In 2006 Universal Republic and Universal Motown split due to the executives not getting along.
    In the video, M.R. (Motown Records) on the $100 is who he is addressing this slam to. He obviously had to deal with a lot of crap from them during his early years with Universal and now they are out of the picture.

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 17th 2009 !⃝

    Back with the rest of the info. Glad to see I have 5 stars for the interpretation. The site I originally used (http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Blue_October/Discography/Index/P384041/1/) showed :
    Approaching Normal
    Release Date: March 24, 2009
    Label: Republic
    According to Amazon.com, Blue October's new record is under Universal/Motown. When I did a search on Dirt room and Motown, I found someone posting that the M.R. written on the $100 bill he burns in the video probably stands for Motown Records.

  17. anonymous
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    Jan 21st 2009 !⃝

    I think it, like a lot of their songs, is about drug addiction. They are probably the most emotional band I've ever heard and I absolutely love them!

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