I can shed a little light on what the lyrics mean. The number eighty-eight stands for Heil Hitler as the letter 'H' is the eighth letter of the alphabet. This makes the line "Why are all the white people filled with hate?" make a little more sense.
Maybe the song is making fun of white supremacist punk rock bands. I dunno.
Other's have brought up this connection, and Valentine has some what played it off like the reference was unintentional.
Other's have brought up this connection, and Valentine has some what played it off like the reference was unintentional.
"When I wrote those two songs (Punk Rock, and Countdown?), I was walking from one neighborhood in Brooklyn to another to go meet my buddy for some beers. His address was 88 Carroll Street. When I was struggling to come up with a lyric, I had a piece of paper with his address on it and I just used it for a lyric. He no longer lives there. So, if you read this interview and you want to visit 88 Carroll...
"When I wrote those two songs (Punk Rock, and Countdown?), I was walking from one neighborhood in Brooklyn to another to go meet my buddy for some beers. His address was 88 Carroll Street. When I was struggling to come up with a lyric, I had a piece of paper with his address on it and I just used it for a lyric. He no longer lives there. So, if you read this interview and you want to visit 88 Carroll Street, I can't vouch for who lives there now."-Dick V.
He has said a couple of times the 88 reference was coincidental... but Valentine loves to be aloof (like when he says 90% of the songs are about nothing). But no matter the reference, I think this song is about roles in society and being stuck in them. Not being able to evolve into something else.
The punks are supposed to be the ones that were going to destroy the system... but it almost as that scene has added to it rather than curtail it.
I can shed a little light on what the lyrics mean. The number eighty-eight stands for Heil Hitler as the letter 'H' is the eighth letter of the alphabet. This makes the line "Why are all the white people filled with hate?" make a little more sense.
Maybe the song is making fun of white supremacist punk rock bands. I dunno.
Other's have brought up this connection, and Valentine has some what played it off like the reference was unintentional.
Other's have brought up this connection, and Valentine has some what played it off like the reference was unintentional.
"When I wrote those two songs (Punk Rock, and Countdown?), I was walking from one neighborhood in Brooklyn to another to go meet my buddy for some beers. His address was 88 Carroll Street. When I was struggling to come up with a lyric, I had a piece of paper with his address on it and I just used it for a lyric. He no longer lives there. So, if you read this interview and you want to visit 88 Carroll...
"When I wrote those two songs (Punk Rock, and Countdown?), I was walking from one neighborhood in Brooklyn to another to go meet my buddy for some beers. His address was 88 Carroll Street. When I was struggling to come up with a lyric, I had a piece of paper with his address on it and I just used it for a lyric. He no longer lives there. So, if you read this interview and you want to visit 88 Carroll Street, I can't vouch for who lives there now."-Dick V.
He has said a couple of times the 88 reference was coincidental... but Valentine loves to be aloof (like when he says 90% of the songs are about nothing). But no matter the reference, I think this song is about roles in society and being stuck in them. Not being able to evolve into something else.
The punks are supposed to be the ones that were going to destroy the system... but it almost as that scene has added to it rather than curtail it.