| Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics | 12 years ago |
|
There are about a dozen clueless morons here saying, "WHY WOULD HE KILL BECAUSE OF REEBOK PUMPS?" Yes, those sneakers (and Nike Air, Jordans, etc) cost upwards of $150 to $200, and yes, kids killed each other over them. If you doubt that, go spend a little time on Google Archive and read about Michael Jordan breaking down publicly in tears because kids were killing each other for his sneakers. But that's not exactly what the hook is about. He's not saying he'll kill them for their sneakers -- he's saying in a fantasy world, he'd kill them for being spoiled little brats whose parents bought them $200 sneakers when they were just kids. I don't think that part is really disputable, the lyrics are plain as day and it fits exactly with the rest of the song. |
|
| Ash – Petrol Lyrics | 14 years ago |
|
I remember reading an interview once where Tim Wheeler said this song recounted his experiences growing up with the violence that was consuming Ireland at the time. The lyrics depict a scared kid caught up in that political violence -- maybe they were coming for his parents, maybe they were just rounding people up in general, maybe it was a case of mistaken identity. Either way, Wheeler is from Northern Ireland and grew up at a time when the violence was very much a real thing, and both sides were taking political prisoners and killing each other off. |
|
| Ash – Shining Light Lyrics | 14 years ago |
|
As others have said, Tim Wheeler wrote this song about his then-girlfriend. It's worth noting that not only was this song lauded by critics, it got a very rare thumbs-up from Noel Gallagher, and Annie Lennox paid the band a massive compliment by covering it and making it one of her major singles. I would rank this as one of the greatest Ash songs of all time. |
|
| Passion Pit – Little Secrets Lyrics | 14 years ago |
|
Just FYI, the chorus of this song is sung by school children from PS 22 in Staten Island, New York. (A New York City public school.) The kids are fifth-graders. With that in mind, it's unlikely that these are overt drug references -- there would be an enormous backlash from the school, the PTA and the parents. Also unlikely is the explanation that he's talking about ecstasy, since that is a drug associated with the mid-90s rave scene and it's really not a drug that's widely used anymore. The "secret" part also doesn't jibe: When someone is on ecstasy, it's pretty obvious and would be very difficult to hide from people. Personally, I think the song is about a natural high and natural feelings, but I will agree with some of the people here who think the lyrics may have double meanings and may be alluding to a more low-key drug like certain amphetamines, or even opiates, that result in a feeling of euphoria and are easy to hide. That would also make sense with some of the more regretful lines, where he seems to lament what's happening and what he's doing to himself. Like any song, it's open to interpretation, but I think any argument that this is an overt drug song has to be taken into consideration with the fact that these are 10-year-olds singing on the chorus and the song was done with the cooperation of teachers at a public school. |
|
| At the Drive-In – One Armed Scissor Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
Just to follow up on my earlier post: Seriously now, this is not some metaphorical masterpiece, it's almost a play-by-play description of the Alien movies. The whole "mummified circuitry, skin graft machinery" bit is a dead-on description of the H.R. Giger art created for the movie Alien. Giger is well-known as an artist who paints mostly disturbing bio-mechanical scenes. The "self-destruction sequence" bit is taken right from the damn movie -- they try to blow up the ship and they can't, because as it says in the song, "this station is non-operational." Slithered entrails in the cargo bay? Another scene from Alien. "Species in an IV loitering"? Another scene from one of the Alien franchise. You could even argue the "one-armed scissor" is the bio-mechanical hive first shown after the crash landingin the first movie. The people trying to stretch this into some grand metaphor about the rigors of life have been listening to too much My Chemical Romance. FFS. |
|
| At the Drive-In – One Armed Scissor Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
Has anyone ever watched the original 1979 version of the movie Alien, or are you all emo kids who really really want this song to be some deep emotional ballad? The dude got high, watched Alien and wrote a song about it. It's really that obvious and that simple. |
|
| Better Than Ezra – Allison Foley Lyrics | 16 years ago |
|
I agree with the poster above -- this isn't a song about a girl he was in love with, it's about a friend who parties, wastes her potential, uses her parent's money to get high...but is still a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with. One of my favorite BTE songs, easily, if not my favorite. The southern sound of the guitars bursting into the uplifting distorted chorus is just some catchy stuff. |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.