This song is timeless, and nearly 20 years after its creation, still possesses the mystique it did the first time i heard it ~1994. To me, at first blush, all those years ago, it had some kind of homo-erotic allure. The line "so that the others may do" tells of something which must be done for others to follow suit. It felt like like some kind of roxy-glam-pop invitation to sexual liberation.
Upon further introspection I think the song may not have an intrinsic meaning, but simply represents a sort of "holding open the door" for people who otherwise might be affronted by this song/band's unusual style. I know, as a sort of armchair rock-historian, that there have been few bands so daring and so true to the sound that wanted to emerge from within, whether the creator wanted it or not. This band handled it with elegance and grace seldom, if ever, seen.
My heart and your windows, opaque and broken
Hello to your folks and welcome to Oakland
Your Dad sold that coke and was sold up the river
I say I get it, you say it's different
My parents are livid, yours went ballistic
The local cabs won't pick me up in your district
You say you'll miss it, I'm more realistic
You say it's forever, I know the statistics
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
Your friends call me cracker, I hope they're joking
Drunk in the back of my parents' car smoking
Outside the club, taking shots in the Taurus
I called you baby, you called me a tourist
This liquor feels sordid, I can't take much more of it
Your brother, the dealer, stares me down as he pours it
It's not that I'm bored of the foothills, well, sort of
We just need the Lord above to support us
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
The cops busted you for your brothers' kis and
They would have been lenient if you were European
I hope you believe that the narc wasn't me and
I think it's a crime you weren't tried as a minor
But I wouldn't blame you if the powder was yours
And the Pyrex and firearms under the floorboards
Now I feel horrible, like I was a long shot
Like man is his own God, call in the bomb squad
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
Hello to your folks and welcome to Oakland
Your Dad sold that coke and was sold up the river
I say I get it, you say it's different
My parents are livid, yours went ballistic
The local cabs won't pick me up in your district
You say you'll miss it, I'm more realistic
You say it's forever, I know the statistics
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
Your friends call me cracker, I hope they're joking
Drunk in the back of my parents' car smoking
Outside the club, taking shots in the Taurus
I called you baby, you called me a tourist
This liquor feels sordid, I can't take much more of it
Your brother, the dealer, stares me down as he pours it
It's not that I'm bored of the foothills, well, sort of
We just need the Lord above to support us
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
The cops busted you for your brothers' kis and
They would have been lenient if you were European
I hope you believe that the narc wasn't me and
I think it's a crime you weren't tried as a minor
But I wouldn't blame you if the powder was yours
And the Pyrex and firearms under the floorboards
Now I feel horrible, like I was a long shot
Like man is his own God, call in the bomb squad
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
You were on fire when you walked away
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
If I could stay with you I would
Crosstown traffic does no one any good
Lyrics submitted by uublog
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