the thing is that “i bet on losing dogs, i know they’re losing and i pay for my place by the ring so i can look them in the eyes when they’re down, i’ll be there by their side, i’m losing by their side” as a metaphor could mean so many different things depending on who your stand-in is for the losing dog. it’s a single metaphor that is so multi-faceted. maybe the losing dogs are unhealthy relationships you know won’t end well but seek out anyway to feel something. the imagery of betting especially can be associated with addiction (like, you know, a gambling addiction), and implies this repetitive behavior that somehow you find comfort in or use as a coping mechanism.
or the losing dog could be another person. a person that you love and care about, perhaps. someone who is caught in a battle with their inner demons that they’re losing, and you can’t help them. all you can do is throw your love behind them and sit by the ring and watch them get defeated. and if you really care about that person, it means you hurt along with them, so you’re literally losing by their side. then there’s also the aspect of this moment of losing being a public spectacle within which there is a moment of intimacy and vulnerability – a spectator locking eyes with the losing dog across the barriers of a cage (which you could easily see as a barrier of social convention or some other more metaphorical barrier). because usually the winning dog gets the attention, right? the one dignity the loser in a competition usually gets is that everyone turns their eyes away from you and you can lick your wounds in solitude. but if someone notices you and pays attention to you, that almost makes the defeat worse.
and of course the losing dog could be you. especially with the last verse, “i always want you when i’m finally fine, how you’d be over me looking in my eyes when i cum, someone to watch me die” which flips the perspective. now instead of being the one catching someone’s eye when they’re helpless and laid low, the narrator wants somebody to take control and look at THEM as they do it. it could be that they bet on all these losing dogs but really they want to be the losing dog. they want the person they’re singing to to be there for them, to look them in the eye when they’re down (in a manner of speaking). and with the line “i always want you when i’m finally fine” it’s like this is a battle you’re fighting with yourself, and you know that if you sleep with your ex (or whatever) you will have lost, but it would be worth it for that moment that they lock eyes with you as you lose. so the feeling of being a losing dog is actually something you are chasing yourself.
it’s a genius song. i’ve listened to it like 20 times in the past 2 days. all i can say for myself is that my period is fast approaching.
tangentwithtanner
