Posted by Patient Number 9 is the new song released on June 24 by Ozzy Osbourne. It anticipates the new album, which will have the same title and will be out on September 9, 2022. The song has a peculiar set of lyrics, and fans are curious to know the meaning behind them and what events in his private life inspired the song. In this article, we will provide all answers.
See also: Degradation Rules, the second single by Ozzy Osbourne
You can find the official video of the song below.
Patient Number 9: the lyrics and their meaning
Patient Number 9 is about a patient inside a mental institution. He feels trapped inside that reality, with the institution’s staff trying to convince him that he’s insane. And he’s fighting; he pretends to take the pills they give him and then spit them away. It’s a terrible scenario, and as we will see in a moment, it comes from a real situation Ozzy had in his life.
Every hallway’s painted white as the light
That will guide you to your help
Making friends with strangers inside my mind
‘Cause they seem to know me well
The song’s beginning is the most poetic part: the protagonist sees the conflict between the enemies who work in the institution and the voices inside himself, which seem more friendly than the staff. From here, the fight takes place, and living inside the institution becomes an act of resistance. The official video shows perfectly the situation, including apocalyptic, devilish visions depicted in the animated part of the clip.
Hiding the pills inside your mouth
Swallow ’em down, then spit them out
I hear the laughter scream and shout
“No tomorrow”
When they call your name, better run and hide
Tell you you’re insane, you believe their lies
I’m not gettin’ out, no, I’m not gettin’ out alive (Ooh)
I’m not gettin’ out ’cause I’m patient number nine (Ooh)
As it often happens, Ozzy confronts the idea of God and asks how it could be possible to be so much in pain if a God exists.
If there’s a God, why’d he let the Devil do his work on me? Oh yeah
If there’s a God, what am I doing here?
What events inspired the new song by Ozzy Osbourne?
Patient Number 9 is inspired by the mental health struggles that Sharon Osbourne, his wife, suffered in 2020. She attempted to commit suicide and she had to stay in a mental health facility, Ozzy himself accompanied her there. So being close to her wife, Ozzy experiences the sensations of living inside a mental institution, surrounded by problematic people. It’s an environment where you feel your balance always threatened, even if you are perfectly fine. And you end up doubting your mental health constantly.
Besides this, Ozzy himself had to undergo a necessary surgery in 2022 and stayed in the hospital for several days. Therefore, the experience of being in a hospital bed is also personal.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The complete lyrics
“Is there a way out of here?”
“Hey, I love you, but you [?]”
“I wanna go home”
“Hey, hahaha”
“Hahaha”
“Excuse me, could you tell how to get out of here?”
“Hahaha”
“I want to go home”
“Ha Ha hahahaha”
“Mommy, mommy”
Every hallway’s painted white as the light
That will guide you to your help
Making friends with strangers inside my mind
‘Cause they seem to know me well
Hiding the pills inside your mouth
Swallow ’em down, then spit them out
I hear the laughter scream and shout
“No tomorrow”
When they call your name, better run and hide
Tell you you’re insane, you believe their lies
I’m not gettin’ out, no, I’m not gettin’ out alive (Ooh)
I’m not gettin’ out ’cause I’m patient number nine (Ooh)
When the sun goes down, the animals cry
That’s a sound you won’t forget
It’s the mirror’s face you don’t recognise
It’ll get you in the end
Hiding the pills inside your mouth
Swallow ’em down, then spit them out
I hear the laughter scream and shout
“Someone help me”
When they call your name, better run and hide
Tell you you’re insane, you believe their lies
I’m not gettin’ out, no, I’m not gettin’ out alive (Ooh)
I’m not gettin’ out ’cause I’m patient number nine (Ooh)
When the walls of a padded cell become reality
How many tears till I ground myself ’cause no one cries for me?
If there’s a God, why’d he let the Devil do his work on me? Oh yeah
If there’s a God, what am I doing here?
When they call your name, better run and hide
Tell you you’re insane, you believe their lies
I’m not gettin’ out, no, I’m not gettin’ out alive (Ooh)
I’m not gettin’ out ’cause I’m patient number nine (Ooh)
