Alan Is A Cowboy Killer

I agree with Balial mostly. I love this song so much my interpretation may be more like a dissertation.

But I think the point of view and the gender of the child is unclear in certain parts. The song makes more sense to me if the child was male. My language reflects the song's point of view and not mine. For the record; sex with children is wrong. And this is a very, very, sad song.

Obviously the first part is from the pov of the molester, Alan; "Pull up my pants Now the camera crew has gone" The obvious, but also Alan, the molester, saying 'I'm done with you, you have no other use' "In your statement to the police" -I don't think the Alan was found out. I think this is just another power trip. Like, he's saying 'I care so little about you, about this, I don't care if you tell, you're that unimportant.' "Tell them how you turned me on"- Alan reinforcing/reminding the child that it was the child's fault, until the child believes it.

"But you were such an ugly child You were such an awkward child You were such a stupid child We should've cottoned on" The pov of this part is tricky. I think this is what the child thinks others, parents/caregivers etc, would think if they found out. He takes these things about himself as universal truths. The child has been brainwashed. And he doesn't tell; he believes it's his fault. He thinks sex was the only thing he was good for and his caregivers should've known why Alan was in the picture.

"Alan is a cowboy killer" Alan destroyed the ability for this boy to be anything close to normal, he no longer feels he can be strong, tough, rugged. This song was on "mclusky do Dallas" maybe there is a connection here? Probably not.

"Take up tai chi Now your favourite pet has died We had crazy fucking times 'Till her visa card expired" I'm probably wrong here, I have 3 possible interpretations. But all are thrown off by the gender conundrum. So, I’ll only post the best one. This is about the relationship ending. The child has to take up something else to keep themselves sane, Tai chi. Probably for the reasons Balial discussed, but also because she/he thinks their body id the only thing that could attract someone to them. (S)he is no longer a card carrying a child. Her/his visa card is expired. The kid is growing up, and is forced to do something other than Alan. Alan, her/his favorite pet, has died. Alan was always there to make the child feel important, like a doting pet, even if it was for a horrendous reason.

"Wipe up his mess Pay your fluffers by the yard How you're paying for your peace How you're paying for your peace" —The boy, now a man, can’t form normal relationships. He’s trying to wipe up the mess Alan has made of him. At this point he’s put work into his body so he’ll have something to pay people with. He’s paying for people to care about him through sex; what he’s learned he’s good for. He gets them, and the peace of not being alone, they get his body. People that should be important to him are merely ‘fluffers.’ But he pays for them by the yard (his c*ck).

Any other interpretation would be appreciated.

Na, lyrics are ok - cottoned on is what it says. 'Caughten on' means nothing; to 'cotton on' means to realise, or indeed 'catch on' to, something.

This song is about child molestation/pornography.

"Pull up my pants Now the camera crew has gone In your statement to the police Tell them how you turned me on"

Basically telling about this guy having sex with this little girl, 'statement to the police' seems to mean he's been found out.

"But you were such an ugly child You were such an awkward child You were such a stupid child We should've cottoned on"

Basically what's stuck in her mind afterwards, she feels like she's ugly, awkward, stupid, worthless, etc.

"Take up tai chi Now your favourite pet has died We had crazy fucking times 'Till her visa card expired"

Most of this I haven't pieced together too well, but taking up tai chi seems to be her trying to make herself stronger to move on with her life.

"Wipe up his mess Pay your fluffers by the yard How you're paying for your peace How you're paying for your peace"

And, it seems like she's moved on to the pornography industry, probably haunted by her past and can't escape it so she's doing the only thing she knows how to do.

and finally... "That Alan is a cowboy killer"

Alan refers to the man who molested her as a child, and cowboys are basically seen symbolically as good, noble, upstanding honorable men, and he's ruined that sense of purity for her.

At least, that's how I see this song.

It doesn't really aid the interpretation of the song, but 'cowboy killer' is a slang term for cigarettes, particularly Marlboros.

Throwing it out there, perhaps the sexually abused child in the song is the son of the abuser.

This song vaguely reminds me of Polly by Nirvana in that it seems quite vague but has a striking story buried within.

Musically this sounds a lot like "Gold Soundz," "Range Life," or another romantic Pavement song. I'd argue it's making fun of how sweet yet terrible indie boys can be.

I believe I read that this song is about a time when the lead singer was making a movie when he was younger. They were filming at night in a parking lot of a supermarket and the cops showed up and drew their guns, either not realizing or not caring that it was just kids shooting a movie.

"cowboy killer" is american slang for a marlboro, aka a cigarette. Fag is a slang term for cigarette in the UK. So, Alan is a fag. Sounds kinda like falco to make a simple dig out to be all complicated...

I've always wondered whether Alan is a cowboy that kills people, or a killer that targets cowboys.

As mentioned elsewhere 'cowboy killer' is an American slang for cigarette, and in the UK (and the US until the 70s) 'fag' is also slang for cigarette.

The lyrics clearly point to a man who is involved in making pornography, but it's written from the perspective of that person's lover, and possibly murder victim (in your statement to the police) and possibly not the first (until her visa card expired). The rest of it revolves around shitty parenting.

Combining those things, you have a gay porn star named Alan who killed his partner, the cowboy, probably on accident. Thus a 'cowboy killer' in more ways than one.