Radar Gun
The Bottle Rockets Lyrics
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Buddy buddy buddy I passed my exam
Makin' me a law enforcement person
Got me a gun and a badge, I'm a man
Radar gun
Radar gun
Forty three from where I was sitting
Thirty miles an hour is the law of our land
Please remove your license, find your registration
And what is the name of your insurance plan?
Radar gun
Radar gun
I'm making money and I'm havin' fun
With my radar gun
Radar gun
With my brand new radar gun
You know our sheriff, William Buchberger
Says our mayor's got a master plan
A new pulse gun means a cost o' livin'
And one of them stop lights down on grand
Radar gun
Radar gun
I'm making money and I'm havin' fun
With my radar gun
Radar gun
With my brand new radar gun
Schedule 19 on a special election
Got our money problems right in hand
Droppin' them limits like a hot potato
Fifty down to thirty oh, man, oh, man!
Radar gun
Radar gun
I'm making money and I'm havin' fun
With my radar gun
Radar gun
With my brand new radar gun
Brand new shiny Simmons radar gun
Me and my partner go patrol car cruisin'
On the parking lots at the shopping malls
Scanning those dashes, those mirrors and visors
The little detectors that ruin it all
Johnny caught one on an '86 t-bird
Pull up slow just as close as I can
Milliwatt-seconds on maximum output
We'll dust that puppy with one small blast of my
Radar gun
Radar gun
I'm making money and I'm havin' fun
With my radar gun
Radar gun
With my brand new radar gun
The Bottle Rocket's "Radar Gun" tells the story of a young man who has recently graduated high school and gone to junior college to become a law enforcement officer. The singer of the song is excited about his new job, as he brags about having both a gun and a badge. The chorus of the song focuses on the radar gun that he uses to catch people speeding. Throughout the verses, the singer talks about various scenarios in which he catches people breaking the law, such as pulling people over for violating the speed limit or scanning cars in parking lots for radar detectors.
The song is written from the perspective of someone who is in a position of power and authority, and the lyrics portray a somewhat lighthearted view of the power trip that comes with having a radar gun. However, it also highlights the potential misuse of power that can come with law enforcement. The song is a commentary not just on the experience of using a radar gun, but on the broader issues of power dynamics, control and technology that are often present in law enforcement.
Line by Line Meaning
Straight from twelfth grade into junior college
The singer has gone straight from high school to a junior college.
Buddy buddy buddy I passed my exam
The singer is happy to have passed his exam.
Makin' me a law enforcement person
The singer has become a law enforcement officer after passing his exam.
Got me a gun and a badge, I'm a man
As a law enforcement officer, the artist feels like a responsible adult.
Radar gun
The artist is excited to use his new radar gun.
Forty three from where I was sitting
The singer clocked someone driving at 43 mph from his position.
Thirty miles an hour is the law of our land
The speed limit in their area is 30 mph.
Please remove your license, find your registration
The artist stops a driver and asks for their license and registration.
And what is the name of your insurance plan?
The artist also asks for the driver's insurance information.
I'm making money and I'm havin' fun
The artist enjoys his job and is making money with his radar gun.
You know our sheriff, William Buchberger
The singer mentions their sheriff by name, William Buchberger.
Says our mayor's got a master plan
The sheriff believes that the mayor has a plan.
A new pulse gun means a cost o' livin'
The new pulse gun technology is expensive to implement.
And one of them stop lights down on grand
The mayor plans to add a new stoplight to Grand Avenue.
Schedule 19 on a special election
There's a special election scheduled for a specific purpose.
Got our money problems right in hand
The artist believes that the special election will solve their money problems.
Droppin' them limits like a hot potato
The speed limits are being decreased rapidly.
Fifty down to thirty oh, man, oh, man!
The speed limit is being decreased from 50 mph to 30 mph.
Me and my partner go patrol car cruisin'
The singer goes on patrol with his partner in a car.
On the parking lots at the shopping malls
They patrol the parking lots of shopping malls.
Scanning those dashes, those mirrors and visors
The artist is looking for radar detectors in cars using his radar gun.
The little detectors that ruin it all
Radar detectors make it difficult for the artist to enforce the speed limit.
Johnny caught one on an '86 t-bird
The singer's partner caught someone with a radar detector on their 1986 Thunderbird car.
Pull up slow just as close as I can
The artist approaches the car slowly and gets as close as possible to detect their speed.
Milliwatt-seconds on maximum output
The singer uses the full power of his radar gun to detect the car's speed.
We'll dust that puppy with one small blast of my
The singer is confident that he can detect the speed and ticket the driver.
With my brand new radar gun
The singer is proud of his new radar gun and enjoys using it to enforce the speed limit.
Brand new shiny Simmons radar gun
The artist specifies that his radar gun is made by Simmons and is brand new and shiny.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: R. PARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind