The Used - The Bird and the Worm

The moral of the song: Don't get involved with something that controls you.

The video and the song seem to reference to someone who is fighting with an addiction (in the video, the addiction is represented by the darker side of the same guy). The backpack is his addiction which is all that he knows; he doesn't know a life without addictions. His heart represents his life which is stuck due to his addiction. "Safety Pin" refers to the fact that familiarity breeds comfort, even though the addiction certainly isn't safe -- yet it feels safe due to the familiarity factor.

Glances by people refers to those that judge him for his addiction.

All alone (because only he can break himself out of the habit) he is frozen in his addiction and cannot quit. He is afraid to look at himself and the truth of the matter. Reality of his being addicted is too much for him to handle. For the meantime, he will just struggle against his addiction like a worm from a bird.

He scolds himself when he is able to briefly pull away from the addiction. And these thoughts bring on self-hatred for himself, which is why he says he is out of his mind.

When he is alone again, he gives in once again to the addiction and as he isn't able to "relieve it" so it grows and takes a stronger hold on him.

The last stanza, he is holding his near last breath, fighting to stay alive and fight against the addiction.

We never really find out whether or not he overcomes it.



The Used - The Bird and The Worm

He wears his heart safety-pinned to his backpack
His backpack is all that he knows
Shot down by strangers
whose glances can cripple the heart
and devour the soul

All alone he turns to stone
While holding his breath half to death
Terrified of what’s inside
To save his life
He crawls like a worm from a bird

(all alone) Crawls like a worm from a bird

Out of his mind the way pushes him, whispering
Must have been out of his mind
Midday delusions of pushing this out of his head
Make him out of his mind (out of his mind)

All alone he turns to stone
While holding his breath half to death
Terrified of what’s inside
To save his life
He crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird

(all alone) Crawls like worm from a bird (x2)
(all alone) crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird

All he knows
If he can’t relieve it, it grows
And so it goes
He crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird

Out of his mind the way pushes him, whispering
Must have been out of his mind

All alone he turns to stone
While holding his breath half to death
Terrified of what’s inside
To save his life
He crawls like a worm from a bird


All alone he’s holding his breath half to death
Terrified to save his life
He crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird

(all alone) Crawls like worm from a bird (x2)
(all alone) crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm, crawls like a worm from a bird