Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks Meaning
Song Released: 2010
Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics
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...
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I heard the song was about kids that shot "roberts" dad, hence the late night. And hes out for revenge on "all the kids with the pumped up kicks better run".....so on and so on.
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well its obvious, the kid doesnt like the way life is going so hes got a gun an the pumped up kicks he looks as a scapegoat becausse he cannot have them so envy takes over then the hollow tip!, i dont blame him to be honest this world has gone to poo as we knew it.... richmond ky is my home town an im surprised its not happened here becasuse of all of the bullying
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This song is horrid with an eerie melody. It seems like everyone likes this song, but they never actually listens to the words. I hear my friends singing to this song and wonder of they even know what they're saying. If you're running really fast you pump you feet up so they almost hit your backside maybe that's what the meaning of "pumped up kicks" is because the children are running fast from this malicious child murdering kid.
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I think it's generally about a boy who is abused by his dad, the line 'dinners in the kitchen and it packed In ice' shows that he's waiting for his daily beating, packed in ice refers to applying ice to an injury
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This song is about Robert, the man who killed 7 people in Von Maur in Omaha, NE. look up the story and you will see the very close relation.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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i think its about a kid who is depressed finds a gun brings it to school killing 5 people and last bullet up to his head pulled the trigger now hes dead
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It's about a kid that a found a gun in his dads closet and killed his drunk father and then went for the kids in his school that bullied him... He's a fucked up bullied boy that wants revenge and finally gets it and commits suicide I don't know what all of you are talking about...
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Dinner packed in ice is beer and daddy is bringing home a surprise, maybe he abused his son
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It's a Golf song!
roberts got a quick hand (he has a fast swing)
he'll look around the room but he won't tell you his plan (he looks at the fairway and won't hit the ball where everyone else does.)
He's got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out of his mouth(it is actually a golf tee, it is a bad habit to chew on them --but people do anyway)
he's a cowboy kid (golf is known as cow patty pool)
Yeah found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet hidden in a box of fun things, I don't...
(Dad had a set of golf clubs in his closet and the kid found them, he has a fancy Driver or Putter ;)
But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you( Watch out in the next tourney -- he's coming after you and you won't be able to beat him anymore)
"All the other kids with your pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, out run my gun
(His Gun is his swing, club and power all put into one perfect motion)
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet
(You can't out drive him -- he's hitting over three hundred yards and those fast far balls are called bullets -- going to have to work hard to beat that -- better run to catch up)
Daddy works a long day.
He be coming home late, yeah he's coming home late.(he sneaks away to play golf - practicing til dark)
And he's bringing me a surprise.(they both have this insane need to play golf -- now he's bought him a custom made set)
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice.
(19th hole is the bar)
I've waited for a long time.
Yeah the slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger,
(he'd always had crappy equipment while he was learning and Dad has bought him a set that are letting him increase his swing power and speed and his distance is still growing)
I reason with my cigarette,(Speak to the golf tee as you tee up the ball)
And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah. (there are some clubs that make a spark when the ball is hit correctly --- You have to be crazy to love this stupid game)
So maybe you see something in a song that is more about you then the song -- I swear I can hear golf clubs clanking in the background! -
Well, the "bringing home a surprise" and the "slide of my hand" parts seem to me to smack of the imagery of sexual abuse......1st verse kid in school is Robert....2nd verse is in 1st person "I've Been Waiting" talking about father abuse...so I think it covers a wide range of abuse and bullying from the outside world and the home situation.......Great song....wish this band much success.
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The live acoustic version on SiriusXM Alt Nation is much better than the studio release. Fabulous interpretation. I think it's all in the kid's head too. It's disturbing because of the few very troubled, sick kids who actually carried it out.
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I love this song, it really does stay with you. I think it's about a typical kid, Robert (My name is Robert too), whose fantasy about violence never gets carried out. He is made to feel inferior to other kids, because they have nicer sneakers and better parents and he dreams about gunning them down like Clint Eastwood or some kind of psycho-cowboy, but that's all it is; a fantasy... he never really plans on doing it.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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He talks to his cigarette saying that he's lost his wits, it's him(Robert) who's lost his wits. He doesn't listen to his "friend" and goes on with the shooting.
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