Starlings of the Slipstream
Pavement Lyrics

The song "Starlings in the Slipstream" by Pavement is a meditation on the deceptive nature of power and influence. The singer begins by reflecting on the death of traditional leaders and the emergence of new power structures represented by starlings - birds that can fly for long periods of time without flapping their wings, carried along by the currents and changes of the environment. The language of power is full of confusing signals, represented by the cluttered "hard sees" that make up the speech of those in control. The singer puts a spy camera in a sorority, perhaps as a metaphor for the hidden ways in which power operates.

The second half of the song turns more surreal, with references to a variety of places and people that seem to have little direct connection to the themes of power and influence. There's a mention of the absence of women in Alaska and Creoles in Vermont, perhaps suggesting the ways in which certain groups are marginalized and excluded from traditional power structures. The Slavic princess with a rose in her teeth is a mysterious figure who may represent temptation or danger. The insane cobra split the wood may be a metaphor for the disruptive power of unexpected events or outsiders. Overall, the song seems to be suggesting that traditional models of power and leadership are no longer adequate to explain the complex and chaotic world we inhabit.