Pulling Teeth

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Pulling Teeth
Written by:	Billie Joe Armstrong
Song length:	2:30
Album:	Dookie (1994)
Chronology
Previous song:	"Welcome to Paradise"
Next song:	"Basket Case"

"Pulling Teeth" is the sixth track from Dookie.

Song meaning

This song is about domestic violence. Not the "classic" man-beats-women violence, but the other way around. Green Day made this song as a (rather dark) joke after Mike's girlfriend at the time accidentally broke his elbows during a rough pillow fight.

One could ask himself the question "Why stay with someone who abuses you?". They are mostly afraid of ending up alone, and thus have an even worse situation than before. People in this situation can only escape it when a better alternative shows up. They are very afraid of searching help themselves, and hope that one day someone will see and understand their situation and hopefully do something about it. In most cases, victims hide away their cuts and bruises, again fearing of ending up alone.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, please know that there's help out there for you. You don't have to endure everything that's happening to you. Please find someone to help, you don't deserve to be treated like that.

Lyrics

Main article: Pulling Teeth/lyrics