Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks

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  Song Meaning:Dude is a misfit. He's pissed off. He's going through that anger in his mind.
  
  Sometimes you have to hear the sound and not just the words. It's distorted. It's syncopated and staccato. His mind is suffering. He's feeling a little dizzy. He's fantasizing about inflicting some serious pain. But there's an arrogant sarcasm to it. The whistling. He's enjoying the violent scene he's imagining. He's calm about it, somewhat cold even.
  
  This song is a daydream in the mind of an angry young dude with some issues.

  Flag kanzeion May 04, 2013   Link

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  My Interpretation:Oh goodness.. It's about how people would bully Robert until he hit his breaking point, went and got a gun, and started a school shooting. People are focusing on "kicks" in the wrong sense... maybe it's not universal, but where I'm from, Kicks is another word for shoes, and shoes are very often used as a status symbol.. ratty shoes often mean you're poor, whereas the newest Osiris brand shoes often mean you have a high social status. "All the other kids and their pumped up kicks better run better run, outrun my gun" means that they better use their super awesome status-symbol shoes that are completely impractical to run, or they're going to get shot.

  Flagged Azusangaon March 12, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:It is about a teen getting bullied and going in his dad's closet getting his gun and killing all of his bullies who got pumped up and got their kicks out of him.

  Flag fosterchilon March 04, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:I'm not sure if anybody's noticed or addressed this point, but in the chorus how it says "All the OTHER kids with the pumped up kick better run... outrun MY gun"
  
  Now, if we take the interpretation that I've seen said here, that of the verses being a friend of Robert or some other outside observer and the choruses as being somewhat of a quotation of what's going through Robert's head, then that would lead us to believe that Robert himself sports "Pumped up Kicks". "All the OTHER kids... better run from MY gun."
  
  That's all. I'm not really trying to say anything more than that; I just thought it was an interesting point that I hadn't seen talked about yet. Great song. Great band.

  Flag RonQion March 03, 2013   Link

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  My Interpretation:After some time of analyzing this song, I believe I have a pretty decent comprehesion of its meaning:
  Well, first of all, its overall purpose is to raise awareness for anti-bullying and gun violence amongst our youth. And of course there's always that one person who says, "No, it's about a kid murdering kids" - so before anyone would feel the need to comment saying that, I must state that you're not entirely correct, since the first sentence of this paragraph was a paraphrased version of something that Mark Foster said... And I don't think that the person who actually WROTE this song would get the meaning wrong.
  The song is used as a 'creative platform' for people to discuss a topic that's dark, and that people tend to 'shy away' from... It's getting inside the head of a fictional character (the name Robert was chosen casually... it's not meant to reference a specific shooting) who is losing his mind, and is 'living in a fantasy world of violence'. It's told from his point of view, and it's strictly his internal dialogue. Also, the character doesn't physical go out and do something violent in the song... It's his thought process - Pumped Up Kicks really dissects this particular kid's mind to find out what makes him tick.
  ALSO, it's pretty clear that this song is not condoning violence at all. It's meant to be a topic of conversation for, like I said, something that people seem to like to reamin ignorant about.
  
  The song doesn't seem to have an actual official line-by-line interpretation...
  So this is my own personal opinion, based on prior knowledge:
  Robert's got a quick hand
  (Robert, like I said, is a fictional character. While there seems to be quite a bit of controversy, the song wasn't written about one particular shooting. It was partially inspired by Columbine, but it's not solely about an exact event. Also, when it says 'got a quick hand', I believe it means that he is easily irritated, and quick to fight; he's right on the verge of reaching his boiling point, if he hasn't reached it already, and he's been pushed to the brink of madness.)
  He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan
  (Pretty self-explanatory. He's concocting some sort of scheme, and is keeping it to himself.)
  He's got a rolled cigarette hangin' out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid
  (He's got a cigarette. Pretty simple. I believe the 'cowboy kid' part refers back to 'got a quick hand'. I believe it is trying to emphasize the fact that his mind is corrupt... and has lost all regard for empathy for others.)
  Yeah he found a six-shooter gun in his dad's closet with a box of fun things
  (He discovered a stash of obscene and/or 'mature' items in his dad's closet... i.e. alcohol, drugs, more cigarettes, etc... And among those items was a gun.)
  And I don't even know what, but he's comin' for you, yeah he comin' for you, yeah
  (I don't even know what [you should do]... I think it's stressing the idea that he's past the point of no return, and there's nothing really that can be done to help him. And he's coming for you.)
  ***NOTE: The first verse was written in THIRD person, unlike the second verse.
  
  [Chorus]
  (He is taunting 'all the other kids with the pumped up kicks'... Maybe they're considered the 'cool kids'? There's something about them that makes them feel like they're all that, and are of a higher status, or are better than everyone else... Hence making them bullies. 'Pumped up kicks' could simply be symbolic for some kind of status symbol. No one can 'outrun a gun', or run 'faster than a bullet', so it's possibly the kid's way of trying to get others to take him more seriously... or to fear him.)
  
  Daddy works a long day, he be comin' home late, yeah he's comin' home late
  (No mention of his mother. Perhaps this is trying to tell us that he comes from a broken home..? Also, his dad might have long shifts at work... resulting in lack of interaction and communication with his son. I believe this strongly describes a "broken home".)
  And he's bringing me a surprise, 'cause dinner's in the kitchen, and it's packed in ice
  (I think this could mean multiple things. 'Packed in ice' can represent alcohol... This could refer back to 'box of fun things'. The dad might be an alcoholic, and may or may not beat his son. The second thing is, if he DOES beat his son, 'packed in ice' might mean getting an ice pack for his bruises.)
  Now I've waiting for a long time
  (The kid has been planning something for a long time...? Is not one hundred percent certain whether or not he should go through with it?)
  The sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger
  (Basically any day now, he has the power to do something violent if he so chooses.)
  I reason with my cigarette, and say, "Your hair's on fire, you must've lost your wits, yeah?!"
  ('Reasoning with his cigarette' may mean that he's debating what he should do... And he's pretty much lost it at this point, so he's conversing with his cigarette. Or, maybe he's high. And he looks at his lit cigarette and says, "Your hair's on fire!" And when he says, "You must've lost your wits", he's saying that he realizes he's gone insane.)
  ***NOTE: This verse was written in FIRST person. Perhaps the story is told from two different characters..? It could be refering to a copy-cat killer, who, in the first verse, was talking about a killer/psychopath who he was planning to imitate. Or, maybe it's the same character... But I have yet to find out why it may have just been told from himself, but from two different points of view.
  
  [Chorus]
  
  [Bridge - whistling]
  
  [Chorus]
  
  In my opinion, this song is a great way to make people think. It impacts its listeners, and makes us wonder, "Why exactly do these particular tragic events occur..?"
  Not only wonder, but it can motivate people to want to do something about it.
  Catchy AND profound. Amazing! :D

  Flag FTPfanon February 20, 2013   Link

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  My Opinion:After reading all of these very well thought out and insightful comment's here is my take. The kid's mom is out of his life, he's alone with his dad who works at a stressful job, then he has some sort of hassle getting home all the time, the kid's responsability was to make dinner, which he didn't, and as a result the dad is gonna blow up at Robert, the good for nothing who can't stand up for himself, but robert is beyond caring, you can here in every word, Robert's the one with the real surprise now, from his standpoint he's something of a cowboy now, in his eye's he's become all those tough characters from the wild west shooters popular in the 80's and 90's, the kid's who had the shot's in life that he didn't, and now he's gonna give them one more shot, it'll be their last shot, (pun intended) him telling the other kid's to outrun a bullet may not actually happen out loud, he seems too repressed to tell them what he's going to do, it's in his head, he's thinking, all your strengths and securities that I don't have still can't save you from the hate that you pushed me towards, and there is nothing you can do, TRY and outrun my bullet.he won't tell dear old dad the plan, cause remember, ROBERT's the one with the surprise now, HE's in power, cowboy logic, he who has the gun makes the rules, a box of fun things, I don't know what, this is the box of the dad's stuff that's almost off limit's to the dad, robert may not even understand what some of these things are, and he reason's with his cigarrette, words are dead to robert now, they can't put hm in control, he's not a big enough personality to command respect, he's a shrunken phsycopath, in his cold gray nothing of isolation, words are just a distant nostalgic fuzz, his mind is like a dark night, he doesn't see who he kills, he only sees the out line, the status symbols, the stereotypes, and the he's out to get the popularity, the empowered, the advantaged, the cool, the hip, and he doesn't want anyone to know what hit the, he just want's a brief flash of horror, and then the end.

  Flag Phundipon January 17, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:Because dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice
  I don't know of any dinner that would be "packed in ice" except for BEER.

  Flag msljon December 28, 2012   Link

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    good one. haha

    Flag seesawdawon January 11, 2013  

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    Packed in ice refers to a frozen dinner. The kid is simply neglected by both parents.

    Flag emailmetwoon March 17, 2013  
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  My Interpretation:I think that this song is about Robert thinking about himself in third person (Robert's got a quick hand, He's coming for you) during the verses, and speaking to the other kids in second person (better, run, better run, outrun my gun) during the chorus.

  Flag brex86on December 25, 2012   Link

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  Song Meaning:I think that this song is about the "Columbine Massacre" that happened in Colorado in the year 1999. The Columbine Massacre was about two young boys who planned for 1 full year to start a massacre in Columbine High School. They were picked on in high school for being 'outcasts'. In this song, Foster the People say: "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run, outrun my gun" meaning: "all the other kids with the cool shoes, you're all superior, you better run, and save yourself" In the Columbine Massacre, it was a sign to stop bullying. This meant a lot. I think that this song was about the columbine massacre.

  Flag dbvarelaon December 24, 2012   Link

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  Translation:Pumped Up Kicks
  -Foster the People
  Written by: Lennon Marie (13 years old.)
  
  You may think this story is about a boy named Robert who has found his fathers gun in his dads closet. Replying to the user below me, "And I don't even know what" is stating what is in the contents of the box. "The story is in third person, Robert being the main character. He finds his father's gun in "a box of fun things" Before the chorus, Robert is last told that he is coming for you, adding an odd pleasure to the song."
  
  Now, most people think this song is about school shootings and the Coloumbine (Colombine?) High school shooting, but that is not what it's about. Front man of the Band, Mark Foster, describes the song as "a lack of love, bullying; isolation." With Roberts dad gone all day, he is isolated alone. This song shows the problems of most children and Foster also claimed "I wrote this song to bring awareness to all of the bullying and some of the school shootings that have happened in the last generation."
  
  The song was not intended on supporting shooting or any acts of violence, but rather to bring awareness to the epidemic of the issues facing the world today.
  
  -Lennon Marie ,13 years.

  Flag kidrauhlon December 23, 2012   Link

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    There are references to Mark Foster's explanation of the song in the second paragraph. Of course, if the writer tells you what the song means, that trumps, but I don't think anything in that paragraph contradicts the way I read the lyrics, same for the last sentence.
    
    But the first paragraph, that doesn't reference Foster; I'm wondering, why not use the word "with" instead of "and" if the focus was on the contents of the box? It seems like the "and" puts the focus back on the six shooter gun, the weapon. Which is why I was thinking it might mean that the other person doesn't know what other weapons might be there. But, that's an interpretation based only on the words. Either way, I agree it was a reference to what was in the box that he found. I've just played that out a little further, why do the other contents in the box matter? Why is it in the song if it doesn't play into the story? When I heard "and I don't even know what" it seemed like the situation could be even worse than the person is aware of.
    
    Also, the second verse is not in third person because it uses the words "me" and "I". Unless the third person is quoting Robert.

    Flag JstGuessnon December 31, 2012  

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