Digital Bath is an experimental metal song by the alternative metal band Deftones. The song served as a promotional single for the band’s third album, White Pony.
Although the song sounds alluring and sweet, lyrically it deals with killing a girl via electrocution. Digital Bath peaked at number 16 on the Billboard US Alternative Airplay Charts at the time of release.
Before delving into the Digital Bath lyrics meaning, you should first understand the meaning behind the song’s title.
Title – What does it mean?
In the song Digital Bath, the narrator murders his victim by electrocuting her in the bathtub. He does so by throwing in a corded electronic device. This is the inspiration behind the song title – Digital Bath.
In an interview, singer Chino Moreno narrated the story behind the song. He was partying hard in the wee hours of the morning when the idea of electrocuting a girl in the bathtub occurred to him. This idea was soon recorded into a song by the band Deftones.
With the title explained, it is time to dive into the Digital Bath lyrics meaning.
Verse 1 – What does it mean?
You move like I want to
To see like your eyes do
Going with the violent theme of the song, the narrator makes his intentions clear. He has brought a girl with him to the bath tub. She is completely oblivious to the devious plans of the narrator. To her, the narrator is being romantic and sensual. Little does she know that he wants to own her, her body to be precise.
The narrator is a psycho and wants complete control of the girl. He wants her to “move like I want to”. Since she is ignorant of the bloody fate that awaits her, her eyes hold the excitement of romance and love-making. Perhaps, the narrator wants to freeze that expression forever by electrocuting her and freezing her dead eyes.
We are downstairs
Where no one can see
New life break away
The scene of the crime is in a bathtub downstairs. In a totally different context, being alone with someone special is a sensual and romantic experience. “…no one can see”, giving lovers and couples all the privacy they need to enfold and enjoy each other’s company intimately.
In the song, however, the narrator is about to exploit this privacy to commit an act of murder. There are no witnesses, only a happily ignorant victim. According to the narrator, he is not killing the girl. In fact, he is bringing in “New life”. He will do this by dressing up the girl’s corpse into a fresh pair of clothes and pretending she was alive. Truly devious!
Chorus – What does it mean?
Tonight, I feel like more
Tonight, I
Notice how the lines sound like a slur. They seem incomplete, as if the thoughts waned away before they could appear completely. Perhaps the narrator is inebriated or under the influence of drugs. Or maybe, he is simply psychotic with a poorly functioning brain. He is, after all, about to take the life of an innocent girl for fun.
This also hints at the fact that the narrator has had such dark thoughts before, but never acted on them. But “Tonight” he is willing to break through. He feels “like more” this particular night. His thoughts might be incoherent but his intentions are clear as day.
Verse 2 – What does it mean?
You make the water warm
You taste foreign
With two bodies in the bathtub, the water has begun to feel “warm”. This is also a metaphor for the narrator being ready to commit the murder. Like a warm up before a work out, the narrator is geared up for the killing.
The narrator and the girl have been making out for a while in the bathtub. But she tastes “foreign”. This is probably a demented way of saying that the narrator likes his lover dead, not warm and alive. It is now time for the narrator to carry out his plan.
And I know you can see
The cord break away
To kill the innocent victim, the narrator chooses the method of electrocution. He decides to throw an electrical gadget into the tub to shock the girl to death. In the final moments before her destruction, the girl realizes what is happening.
The narrator does not make any attempts to ambush his victim. As a psychotic killer, he derives sick pleasure from his victim’s fear. It is possible that he allowed the girl to see him slip an electronic gadget into the tub only to see the fear on her face.
The second verse of the song highlights the true Digital Bath lyrics meaning.
Chorus – What does it mean?
‘Cause tonight I feel like more
Tonight I feel like more
Feel like more
Tonight
Notice how the lyrics in the second chorus are perfectly coherent. This is due to the adrenaline rush surging through the narrator. He has just executed his victim. This heinous act has brought peace and clarity to his mind. But the story does not end here. There are more kinky things left for the narrator to explore.
Bridge – What does it mean?
You breathed, then you stopped
I breathed, then dried you off
The narrator draws a parallel between his victim and himself. A moment ago his victim was still breathing like him. But now she floats in the bathtub, dead. On the other hand, the narrator is alive and continues to breathe. More importantly, he has important business to take care of.
Killing the girl was only the beginning. The narrator proceeds to dry the girl’s dead body off and put her clothes back on. This could be a way to get some sadistic pleasure from the whole act. Or, it could be a means to hide his tracks so the police do not suspect him.
Chorus – What does it mean?
And tonight I feel
Feel like more
Oh, tonight I feel like
Feel like more
Tonight I feel like more
Feel like more
Tonight
The narrator is still high from excitement. The killing of the innocent girl has put him in a trance-like state, which he seems to enjoy thoroughly. He felt “like more” and finally went ahead with his sinful deed.
Hope you have now understood the Digital Bath lyrics meaning.
In Conclusion
The Digital Bath lyrics meaning is very dark and sensual. It is violent and psychotic. The lyrical theme is juxtaposed with an almost soothing, laid back sound of the song.
