The band rattled to the middle of the Hot 100 in 1966 with You're Gonna Miss Me, anchored by Roky Erickson's unforgettable yelping vocals, Stacy Sutherland's guitar, and Tommy Hall's electric jug runs. According to myth, Tommy's jug was tuned by the amount of marijuana stored in it.
The group pioneered some of the first garage psychedelia on its albums The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators 1966, and the followup Easter Everywhere 1967.
However, Texas at that time was an extremely conservative area that still hadn't come to terms with 50's rock 'n' roll. The authorities and the police set out to bust the entire band for pot (and—not surprisingly—succeeded).
Stacy Sutherland was jailed. To avoid a prison term, Roky pleaded insanity—a misguided ploy that landed him in Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane for 3 years. That turn of events spelled the end of the band, although there was a posthumous 1968 LP, Bull of the Woods.
Roky Erickson was released from hospital in 1973 and embarked upon a successful solo career that resulted in a CBS album produced by Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival. During the 1980s he struggled with mental illness and withdrew from public life for many years. However, in the 2000s he has re-emerged with one of his late 70s/early 80s backing bands, The Explosives, playing regular gigs including the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005, as well as Coachella in California, the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden and Montreal World Film festival in Canada.
On May 31, 2019, Roky Erickson passed away.
Fire Engine
13th Floor Elevators Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
It can drive you out of your mind
Climb the ladder of your own design in my fire engine
Don't tell it to go slow or stop
You're got to work it right up to the top
A piercing bolt of neon red
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
Boiling rhythms make your ears sting
Rounding the corners you can feel the ring of my fire engine
Close your eyes and you erase
Your image you no longer chase
A fiery flood engulfs your brain
And drowns your thoughts with scarlet rain
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
It can drive you out of your mind
Climb the ladder of your own design in my fire engine
The lyrics to the 13th Floor Elevators' song "Fire Engine" are enigmatic and poetic, hinting at a transcendent experience that can be reached through the vehicle of a fire engine. The singer of the song invites someone to join them in the "empty place" of their fire engine, which is capable of driving a person "out of your mind." The lyrics suggest that the fire engine is a kind of vehicle for spiritual exploration, allowing the passenger to climb "the ladder of your own design." The singer also asserts that the fire engine must be operated correctly, with a "boiling rhythm" and a willingness to push it "right up to the top."
The second half of the song becomes more abstract, describing a "piercing bolt of neon red" that "explodes on fire inside my head." The fire engine seems to be a catalyst for a powerful experience that can overwhelm the senses and drown out thought with "scarlet rain." The lyrics suggest that this experience can be transformative, allowing the listener to "erase" their image and find a new, unknown space within themselves.
Overall, the lyrics to "Fire Engine" are a poetic, impressionistic meditation on the potential for spiritual exploration through an unconventional means. The song touches on themes of transcendence, altered consciousness, and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me take you to the empty place in my fire engine
Let me lead you to a place where your mind can be free and unburdened, much like an empty space on a fire engine.
It can drive you out of your mind
This experience can take you beyond the boundaries of your rational mind and into a new realm of consciousness.
Climb the ladder of your own design in my fire engine
Take control of your own journey and climb the ladder of enlightenment in your own unique way, with the fire engine serving as your vehicle.
Don't tell it to go slow or stop
Don't hold back or restrict the experience, instead fully embrace and allow it to take you where it will.
You're got to work it right up to the top
Fully engage with the experience and push yourself to reach its highest potential.
A piercing bolt of neon red
A powerful, electrifying sensation that overwhelms the senses and ignites the imagination.
Explodes on fire inside my head
The sensation is so intense that it feels like a fiery explosion in the mind, consuming all other thoughts and emotions.
Boiling rhythms make your ears sting
The music and energy of the experience is so intense that it feels like it is physically affecting the body, causing a visceral reaction.
Rounding the corners you can feel the ring of my fire engine
As the journey continues, the sensation becomes more concrete and tangible, with a distinct feeling or vibration that is felt throughout the body.
Close your eyes and you erase
By shutting off the external world, you can let go of the constraints of reality and enter a new state of consciousness.
Your image you no longer chase
You are no longer defined by external appearances or societal expectations, but rather are free to explore your true self.
A fiery flood engulfs your brain
The overwhelming sensation of the experience consumes the mind and takes over all thoughts and feelings.
And drowns your thoughts with scarlet rain
The sensation is so intense that it completely washes away all other thoughts and emotions, replacing them with a vivid and all-consuming experience.
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.