Richard Divine Lyrics
Richard Divine made up his mind
To take the last few steps to bathroom door
From his bedroom floor and to lock himself in
Steady young hands, meticulous plans
Disposable razors and a blister pack filled
With strong sleeping pills, a bath of hot water
[Chorus 1]
He said he's not for sale, said that he felt hounded
Crowded and surrounded by this life he didn't choose
[Verse 2]
He carefully wrote a funerary note
On his best writing paper to set out the facts
And sealed it with wax and left it in the kitchen
He left it out so his parents would know
What there was waiting for them
Pale cold skin, blood seeping into the landing carpet
[Chorus 2]
He said he's not for sale, said that he felt hounded
Crowded and surrounded by this life he didn't choose
But everybody plays this game on a daily basis
They're not heroes, they're survivors
It's not Shakespearean if you lose
So do what you want, do what you want
Do what the voices tell you
Don't ever say, don't ever say that we didn't warn you
'Cause we warned you
[Chorus 3]
He said he's not for sale but he bought into his failure
He's telling tales that hammer nails right into open palms
A martyr in reverse, he's best at being worst
The rest of us are cursed but we keep calm and we carry on
[Outro]
So Richard, here it is
None of us are blameless, we're huddled here like strangers
Shameless in the lists of all the changes we say we need
But I think that you knew that
You can't pretend it's news that
If you cut yourself you'll bleed
About
This song describe the suicide of a teenager. The song is, like all of Frank’s material on self-harm, very “tough love”; it doesn’t shy away from labelling suicide as a cowardly act, rather than something romantic. Frank paints a graphic picture of what it is to kill yourself and is unsympathetic toward Richard, who has transferred his pain to his parents.
Frank, who self-harmed extensively as a teenager, has received some criticism from fans for the song’s unflinching nature, claiming that the song trivializes suicide. He responded to this criticism on his website’s forums..
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
On his forum, Frank said:
That’s a difficult song for me, I don’t play it any more for a host of reasons, but I slightly take issue with the idea that it trivializes anything. It’s written about a direct experience of mine (one that I really can’t elaborate on any further), but I guess the point for me is that suicide is such a hugely destructive act, not just for the protagonist (obviously) but for those left behind. I’ve had many, many times in my life when the thought has occurred strongly to me, but the thing that has always held me back is a consideration of the impact it would have on those around me. When I lost a friend, the devastation wrought on his family (and to a lesser degree, me) was appalling to behold, and it made me very angry. That’s the driving idea of the song.
I also don’t think the arrangement, which was kind of an experiment, worked out that well. Ah well.
- 3.Dan’s Song
- 5.Isabel
- 8.The Road
- 9.Faithful Son
- 10.Richard Divine
- 11.Sunday Nights
