Teflon

This is my favorite song on this album- it's just so badass!

I think the "What am I without the bruises" line is referring to McCain, because a lot of people said he's just riding on the fact he spent a few years in a prisoner of war camp, and that line is talking about his battle scars, and how that is all he has.

Ditto PinkBob88! The bridge (Oval Office part) is particularly awesome.

Just my two cents. I think the song is about the Iraq war. Two Bush presidents who both went into Iraq ("blood to your family tree"). The withdrawal dates for the troops keep changing, making them anxious with bouts of nervous. Soldiers who do repeated tours of duty might not feel complete unless they're fighting ("what am i without the bruises"), although I like the McCain reference too. They're suffering from post-traumatic stress, even though they're still there, making distress calls that go unheard ("these switches won't come on"). Sometimes their signal gets jammed ("scarab crank the busy signal"). Violence occurs in many ways, one of which could be "necklacing" ("stack the tires to the neck....").

Taking all the hostages into the Oval Office draw the curtains, part their hair and pull the trigger softly

Maybe a soldier comes back from the war and has dreams of getting revenge. The image of parting their hair and pulling the trigger softly made me laugh!

Ronald Reagan was known as the Teflon President because no accusations ever stuck to him. Maybe this is also in reference to the war architects. Like I said, it's just my opinion and I'm not married to this interpretation.

Okay here is my opinion of the meaning of this song. First I have to say that I am not a nativ english speeker (like Cedric also is not) which makes it quite difficult for me to figure out MV songs. But this one, for me, is less cryptic than most of their other songs.

The first verse for me it is clearly about the Bush family and their influence in two Iraq wars. ("The dates have changed with each new phase" - Bush sen. started and his son later fulfilled his work, so they clearly breed a mess over the world and particluarly over the people in Iraq and there is blood on their family tree)

The "frames of infrared keep scrolling into focus" in verse two reminds me of those infrared pictures of bombs hitting ground targets, which were shown in the news on TV. Maybe the rest of this verse refers to the way those pictures were shown or better the way the viewer looks at those pictures, because you just see the downraining bombs but not what damage and harm they cause. (Just a very very vague interpretation, in fact I really can´t figure out)

The meaning of verse three and four I see in a similar way as ´limitlaw´ described in his above listed post. The persons in the oval office (president and his staff) are just puppets/marionettes to the ones who really pull the strings (the industry,or for conspiracy theorists the CIA,FBI...). The thoughts and interest of the ´puppetmasters´ were inplanted into their heads, which maybe kills their own opionion and thoughts softly ("draw the curtains, part their hair and pull the trigger softly"). They are all hostages to each other, because if someone tells the untruth everyone else of them knows. They are codependent! So if one of them would like to tell the truth it is easy for the others to remove or exclude him. If one of them is committed he can take the others with him by blaming them. "One driver in his motorcade is all it takes".

Unfortunately I can´t figure out the refrain. I guess that there is a ´necklacing´ reference in "let the wheels burn...", but maybe it has no real meaning and the phrase was just taken because it is a fantastic methapher in gereral and it sounds really really cool. The other part of the refrain ("What am I without the bruises...") could mean that we all are just watching or complaining, but we don´t do anything against the practics of the government/´puppetmasters´.

Just my two cents and basically what I thought about the song when I first heard it. I am open to any corrections or additional thoughts. And one of the best things in MV lyrics is that everyone has its own pictures appearing in his head whilst listening.

One driver in your motorcade is all it takes, is all it takes

Zapruder. Obvious.

Not sure of the rest yet, this is my first listen. I enjoy this album so far.

Actually, I read somewhere that This song was Cedric's take of what he would think if McCain were elected president. I'm sure there is more to it than that, but it definitely makes sense for the central theme of the song

Ya, I was thinking this part

Taking all the hostages into the Oval Office draw the curtains, part their hair and pull the trigger softly

Was talking about the US government is terrible. Since it's the Oval Office marking it as the USA. Someone said earlier that it meant terrorism, but why would terrorist draw the curtains? They wouldn't cause they would want people to know about what they had done. This is just my interpretation.

pretty sure it's "if they have me committed" instead of "if they have me come and tend) just makes more sense. unless these are official, in which case, i'm the a-hole

"Let the wheels burn, let the wheels burn stack the tires to the neck with a body inside"

Sounds like a gang murder. Stacking tires to the victims neck and lighting it on fire.

"Taking all the hostages into the Oval Office/draw the curtains/part their hair/and pull the trigger softly" Terrorists in the White House, obviously. .

"If they have me committed then I'll just take you with me" Maybe he has explosive stuff strapped around him?

And too anyone who does not know. Teflon is a nickname giving to people, PARTICULARLY IN POLITICIONS, To whom critizism does not seem to stick.

guys, no matter how many comments everyone posts, im sure no one will exactly guess the meaning of ANY of The Mars Volta songs. its all a mystery to me. their lyrics are huge puzzles and its our job to figure out what it all means