I had a brother once
He drowned in a bathtub
Before he had ever learned how to talk
And I don't know what his name was
But my mother does
I heard her say it once

Padriac, my prince, I've all but died
From the sheer weight of my shame
You cried but no one came
And the water filled your tiny lungs
Appear, my dear, and cry for me
It was six years ago today
That I laid you in your grave
Your sweet young skin was shining then too

And so tonight to celebrate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning

So I close the door and rest my head on the tile floor
Sickness and sleep turning me cold
I'm still not sure
Is there some better place I should be heading towards?
Where the selfishly sick and self absorbed are welcome

I saw the future once
I was drunk in a phone booth
My eyes were wet and red
But I could not tell what was said
And through the screams of the traffic
Voiced carried, saying, "Im sorry"

On a day so gray it's black inside
Watching churches on TV
In a coma you don't dream
You just hope that someone sits with you
Babies turn blue when they're ignored
Like the sky on summer days
Before you turn and walk away
It has changed you

So tonight to compensate, I will, I will poison myself
Another coughing, shaking fit in a bathroom that is spinning


Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Padraic My Prince Lyrics as written by Conor Oberst Oberst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Padraic My Prince song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

98 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    hey poet insomniac how many songs have you been? hahahahahaha

    therymzon May 10, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Every line of this song is sad. You don't see much of that... and i love it

    skies are grayon May 24, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Why does everyone think that interview is real? God....And yeah, Padriac colum, with the whole storytelling style. Ever wonder why?

    ruchlaxon May 01, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Understandably, Oberst does a fantastic job relaying the misery of the mom after the death of her baby. Not every singer/songwriter can put so much of the right kind of emotion in such a song.

    Spongetasticon July 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this could be the saddest song i've ever been

    poet insomniacon April 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it's genius though. conor oberst is a genius.

    ifxwinterxendson April 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it's genius though. conor oberst is a genius.

    ifxwinterxendson April 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    conor amazes me... i mean his lyrics and voice pulls you into the songs like nobody else can ps... good one therymz

    brighteyes4750on May 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "in a coma you don't dream, you just hope that someone sits with you." - this whole song is so beautiful and so sad.

    aDorkinSuburbiaon June 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Did Conor really have a brother who drowned in a bath tub?

    ShiverForMeon July 24, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Album art
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone). And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
Album art
Step
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.