Lyric discussion by padrin0 

Cover art for Hey lyrics by Pixies

The Pixies are an amazingly important band to modern rock and this song in particular resonates with me and normally I don't comment with my own interpretations but it seems I look at it differently and I was curious what people thought.

The song starts with "Been trying to meet you" - whether this is a longing for a while or just a girl that's been spotted at a party or something, regardless, a certain female has caught his eye. She drives him wild and he wants to meet her.

When you first have that fiery feeling of attraction and meet someone, looking in their eyes is a really intense experience, the emotions boil and its very exciting - an adrenaline rush, similar to other exhilarating / thrilling experiences. "Must be a devil between us" is an acknowledgement of this sexual tension - she can feel it to. He's seducing her, she is digging it, but social conditioning / resistance to his charm or whatever is making her a bit uneasy, why is this man so confident? Why does she feel like this? "well there must be a devil between us..."

Really its his frames of reference, his many other conquests, he's done this many times before - just because this girl he is intoxicated by doesn't mean he's going to be any more reserved - he wants this girl and he will take her. "Or whores in my head, whores in my door, a whore in my bed" - this is just his sexual confidence, he doesn't see women as whores but he couples all of his conquests together as a purely "sexual" conquests, they have no meaning to him outside of sex.

Think for a second about the structure of the song, the bassline, the guitar, its got a VERY sexual bassy sound to it - the way the lyrics are delivered are almost like they are being spoken to someone.

"But hey, where have you been? if you go I will surely die!" - this is playful, its flirting, he's going to get what he wants, he really desires this girl - perhaps he doesn't know why, maybe at this point he thinks she is different / special / not like the rest. In this moment this is the only woman in the world to him.

He takes her home.

Musical interlude - its a sexual song, no need to figure out what is going on here? the end of the 'solo'... sounds like a bit of a crescendo (or climax?).

HUH said the man to the lady? HUH said the lady to the man? Well... they are enjoying each other and clearly having quite a passionate time.

Now he is disappointed, he's had her now, she's now like the countless others, the mystery has gone and she moans and groans just like all the others.

Mary aren't you tired of this?

He's coming to the realisation that he isn't getting what he needs from sex any more... maybe he's contemplating staying with this girl... who knows? He thought this was perhaps someone he could become attached to be now he's not so sure.

However, the choice is taken away from him in the end - HUH is also the sound the mother makes when the baby breaks... giving birth, the pains of giving birth, screaming out in agony instead of ecstasy.

Now he is chained to her, previously the chains have been metaphorical, but now he is literally chained to this chick - he has the extra meaning in his relationship with this chick, but its not love or anything like that, its being shackled to her due to responsibility.

He's just as broken as he was at the start.

Damn, I like that interpretation a lot. I haven't really thought about the song much myself, but that is a really interesting look at it.

I love this interpretation.

@padrin0 i love that