Saliva - Always Lyrics Meaning

The songwriter said that it was his interpretation of domestic abuse. As said in an interview with Saliva frontman Josey Scott:

The song describes a dysfunctional relationship worsened by domestic abuse. Scott based his lyrics on someone he knew. "My girlfriend's sister Christie went through something pretty nasty with a young man she was involved with," he explained. "I just took it from her life and applied it to mine."

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I'm not sure if it's told from a man or a woman's perspective, but either way fits, really. Everyone gets caught up on the lyric "does it make you feel more like a man", and honestly, that could fit a man OR a woman. The easiest interpretation, if you stick with the songwriter's intent, is that it's a woman who has finally had enough from her abuser.

Personally, I always had a different interpretation of the part:

"I see, the blood all over your hands
Does it make you feel, more like a man
Was it all, just a part of your plan
This pistol's shakin' in my hands
And all I hear is the sound"

My interpretation, keeping in line with the domestic abuse line, is that the victim/survivor is on their way out the door. The abuser has a gun, and is threatening them, but the victim/survivor has had enough by this point, and there is a struggle as they fight over the weapon. It discharges, and the abuser ended up shot, and relinquishes the weapon in disbelief. I see him/her stumbling backward, blood on their hands, while the victim/survivor now has the pistol, and their hands are shaking as they stare in shock at what just unfolded.

Regardless, this is an amazing song. Very intense!