Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks Meaning

Song Released: 2010

Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics

Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room
He won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out of his mouth he's a cowboy kid
Yeah found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet hidden in a box of fun things, I don't...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 28th 2012 !⃝

   It's about a mall shooting.
2. anonymous

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   Jan 28th 2012 !⃝

   It's about the Columbine shooting.
3. anonymous

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   Jan 26th 2012 !⃝

   all the kids are being meeean !
4. anonymous

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   Jan 21st 2012 !⃝

   i think this song is about a boy named robert who has a very hard life.he gose to columbine in CO.he kills lots people.
   the surprise is simple .....his dad is going to beat the sh*t outta him.
5. anonymous

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   Jan 3rd 2012 !⃝

   You are all stupid, well most of you are... The song is about getting out of your comfort zone and seeing things from a different Point of view. you left wing lunatics say that its every kids worst fear to be shot. What a lie. "what if my parents catch me with this joint?" is their worst fear. and for you right wing nutjobs: if i so much as even smell one more comment about terrorists shooting people, I?ll ?????? ??? ????? ????
6. anonymous

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   Jan 2nd 2012 !⃝

   I think that this song is about a boy, who has grown up in a bad area, with a bad family, and he doesnt have alot of friends. He is an outcast and he envies those who are higher that him. So, his anger from his bad background, comes out and he uses that anger on the "in-crowd". "You better run, better run, outrun my gun", is obviously telling you that Robert has a gun and "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks", obviously means the people he envies. So, he is going to basically chase the incrowd with a gun, and the incrowd better outrun Robert and his gun.
7. anonymous

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   Dec 27th 2011 !⃝

   People could interepret this song as canibalism easily.
8. anonymous

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   Dec 25th 2011 !⃝

   I think it's about his dad has a gun called Roberts.His son grows up and he is jealous of the rich kids and their pumped up kicks.So he goes to the elementry school and warning them he's coming with his gun. He tries to go kill the rich kids.
9. anonymous

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   Dec 25th 2011 !⃝

   I think this song is a reference to the Colombine shooting...
10. anonymous

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    Dec 22nd 2011 !⃝

    colombine shooting and others like it was inspuration for the song. dad is never home and thinks gifts buys love but the kids a outcast with dark social thoughts who is made fun of by the cool kids. reebok pumps was the shoe for the coool kids in 92 n 93
11. CarolineRose

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    Dec 21st 2011 !⃝

    To me just another gangbanger song - although a very good and catchy gangbanger song... Everyone has a story to tell, everyone eventually has heartbreak and sorrow to deal with, but that's no excuse for random violence, no matter how the person in the song was treated while growing up... On the other hand, sometimes circumstances and actions become uncontrollable; you could go around talking in circles forever about the cycle of violence breeding violence, but never come to any conclusions... I guess it's all relative...
12. anonymous

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    Dec 21st 2011 !⃝

    I believe this song is about a kid who's grown up different,and he has become solitary like a lone cowboy. He only has a father who's not a good father figure ,and doesn't care for him. The kids with the Pumped up kicks is a term to the popular kids who have all the new "cool" clothes, they have been making fun of him because he's different. He has nobody to turn to (denote no father help) so he decides to pull out the gun. The idea behind "I reason with my cigarette
    And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits" If its not a reference to a rolled joint (marijuana induced)he is saying the cigarette is he sub conscious telling him he is hot headed (hairs on fire) and he isn't thinking right (lost your wits) and he likes the feeling it gives him. Thanks for reading.
13. anonymous

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    Dec 16th 2011 !⃝

    robert wants ppl to fuck him
14. anonymous

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    Dec 15th 2011 !⃝

    It's about Tate from American Horror Story, he shot up a few kids in his school like a total bad ass.
15. anonymous

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    Dec 13th 2011 !⃝

    I'am53 years old, and I think this is one of the best , original, tunes I have heard in years... O by the way Dinner ine the kitchen,packed on ice is a 12 pack of budweiser in the cooler... NOT a froozen dinner,,,

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