Cooking Wine

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with a blunt, almost flippant confession: "Sorry I'm late, I was out spoiling my liver." This immediately establishes a scene of disheveled arrival and self-aware indulgence. The speaker is profoundly exhausted, noting that "the sun was up" too long, hinting at a prolonged, perhaps regrettable, period of wakefulness. A core tension emerges from the speaker's physical state versus their perception of others. Despite being unable to "see straight," they compliment "the two of you," escalating from "awfully pretty" to "fucking beautiful." This shift suggests a desperate attempt at connection or a genuine, if blurry, appreciation, contrasting sharply with their own self-destructive behavior. The enigmatic question, "is it strong enough to burn away the cooking wine?" serves as the lyrical anchor. "Cooking wine" itself implies a cheap, perhaps desperate form of intoxication or a lingering, low-grade unpleasantness. The "it" remains undefined, leaving the listener to wonder if it refers to the presence of the "two of you," a new experience, or simply the profound oblivion promised by sleep. The lyrics effectively convey a cyclical sense of weariness and self-medication. The repetition of the opening confession and the "cooking wine" query underscores a pattern, while the longing to "sleep for days" articulates a deep desire for escape from this cycle. This raw portrayal of exhaustion and the search for something potent enough to erase past choices resonates with a visceral honesty.