Soaked your clothes in kerosene
Cleanse the mind of ketamine
Slide your mom on top of me
Wash yourself with turpentine
My arms, I’ve raised again
Today I don’t feel tethered
I have no path within
Don’t know if I’ll get better
My own mind’s unclean
Can’t taste anything
What if I’m not like the others?
A broken man, a Frankenstein
What if my heart won’t recover?
I’ll clean myself with turpentine
Working at the factory
Stick the veins of nicotine
Wash yourself with turpentine
I feel like I’ll cave in
I’m anxious, I am weathered
I’ve lost my way again
I know there ain’t no treasure
My mind breaks with ease
Sticks and stones and dreams
What if I’m not like the others?
A broken man, a Frankenstein
What if my heart won’t recover?
I’ll clean myself with turpentine
Working at the factory
Stick the veins of nicotine
Wash yourself with turpentine
Sharks smell the blood in the water
We’re all just lambs to the slaughter
It’s only all the time this time
A generation lost and forgotten
Clawing at the lid of the coffin
Your god ain’t coming back this time
Quit your job and have a drink
Take a pound of ecstasy
Blah, bl-blah, bl-blah, fuck
Wash yourself with turpentine
What if I’m not like the others?
A broken man, a Frankenstein
What if my heart won’t recover?
I’ll clean myself with turpentine
Lift me like the trampoline
Stick your dick in Ovaltine
Snort a bag of dramamine
Douse yourself in gasoline
Throw up in a limousine
Jack off to a magazine
Wash yourself with turpen…tine
God damn it
Peeling Back the Layers of “TURPENTINE”
Blink-182’s “TURPENTINE” dives headfirst into the chaos and rawness of mental struggle, addiction, and the search for self-cleansing. The lyrics are laced with dark humor and surreal imagery—references to substances, self-destruction, and a desperate attempt at renewal using “turpentine,” a metaphor for extreme purification. The track explores feelings of alienation, brokenness, and the relentless pressure of modern life, all delivered with the band’s signature blend of irreverence and vulnerability. The repeated question, “What if I’m not like the others?” highlights the narrator’s internal conflict, while the visceral, sometimes shocking lines portray a mind on the edge, seeking relief but finding only fleeting, corrosive solutions.
Song Credits
- Artist: Blink-182
- Songwriters: Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker
- Release Year: 2023
- Label: Columbia Records