Green Day - Give Me Novacaine Lyrics

Take away the sensation inside
Bitter sweet migraine in my head
It’s like a throbbing tooth ache of the mind
I can't take this feeling anymore

Drain the pressure from the swelling,
This sensation’s overwhelming,
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing
So give me  Novacaine

Out of body and out of mind
Kiss the demons out of my dreams
I get the funny feeling, that’s alright
Jimmy says it's better than air,
I’ll tell you why

Drain the pressure from the swelling,
This sensation’s overwhelming,
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright,
Tell me that I won't feel a thing,
So give me  Novacaine

Oh Novacaine

Drain the pressure from the swelling,
This sensation’s overwhelming
Give me a long kiss goodnight and everything will be alright,
Tell me Jimmy I won't feel a thing,
So give me  Novacaine

The lyrics of this song portray an individual, presumably a young man, who is overwhelmed with the sensation of pain and is at a point when he just wants to escape to avoid experiencing it. He is begging the listener to help him get rid of the feeling or at least assure him that “everything will be alright” - with a kiss perhaps – a plea for another human being to make contact with him physically and comfort him. Like how Mom used to kiss away the boo-boos. He wants Novacaine. He wants to be anesthetized - NOW.  He also fantasizes being disembodied from the experience and wants to believe this is going to work and that his pain will be relieved.

Understandably, when we are overwhelmed with seemingly insurmountable stress or emotional pain, we long to escape and avoid the feeling. It is much too painful and seems unbearable.  And the uncertainty of how long we have to endure the pain does not help. We feel and think that we can only take so much - Especially when you feel you are alone. No one understands. No one is there to hold you, comfort you and contain you. No one is there to assure you that this will not last forever.

Take for example losing a child to suicide. Imagine the intensity of the grief of the mother…or father. Or the guilt and shame that almost automatically goes with it. How long before a parent can heal from this?

And so some of us turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain, be anesthetized, like what Novacaine does. Or we run away from the feeling and get involved in relationships or activities which sometimes end up being self-destructive, if not committing the ultimate act of running away - suicide itself..... Or we isolate or intellectualize instead of reaching out to another person and make a connection. Somehow, that does not feel safe as human relationships are unpredictable or at least that has been our experience from past relationships.  Whereas with chemicals or drugs you can depend on the instantaneous high that will let you escape. 

Self-awareness especially in the realm of emotions is one of the lessons learned in psychotherapy or counseling. As we understand how we react and are affected by life circumstances, we also learn containment, and eventually learn how to soothe ourselves without having to resort to using self-destructive methods. We also learn how to choose and reach out to other persons who are capable of comforting us during times of sorrow. And the relationship with the therapist provides the holding environment which allows the patient to heal and grow and learn all these.

As a society, we are just beginning to understand how our relationships with our emotions affect the quality of our lives. We still treat our emotions as foreigners in our bodies instead of embracing them like true friends who need care and cradling at times.