But Bradley invented the term 'bad fish' and he was talking about drinking and being a 'whore.' People often use the term 'drink like a fish.' He says 'bad' fish because of the parasitic nature of his love.

Later on people may have misinterpreted this song as being about heroine so they started using 'bad fish' to refer to someone who gets somebody else hooked on heroine. 'Two pints of booze' and 'are you a bad fish too?' means he has two pints and is ready to drink with someone who wants to make love. He will not necessarely be a faithful lover so he is a parasite. He will step into the night meaning at night he is going to go around the town, go to bars and have fun. He takes love without giving perfect devotion back. 'But I'm a parasite, creep and crawl I step into the night.' By being a parasite he is saying that he wants love from his lover but he may not be perfectly faithful in return. It could also have a double meaning referring primarily to alcoholism.

In saying 'when you grab ahold of me you tell me that I'll never be set free' in the first line he is talking about a lover holding him in their embrace.

Thank you to all the people who pointed out that because this song was written early in his career it is not about heroine. It also has references to surfing, drinking, and smoking. This song is primarily about love and/or being in a relationship. General CommentWith the utmost respect for Bradley because he was a very inspirational person I would like to do my best to set the record straight on this song.

Sublime badfish