"American Sharks: Hell-for-leather punkish hard rock like the Supersuckers … Read Full Bio ↴"American Sharks: Hell-for-leather punkish hard rock like the Supersuckers and New Bomb Turks used to make. Add a healthy dose of Memphis/Detroit garage R&B, and assorted nods to Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and the Misfits, and here's a band that sounds exponentially better the more fucked up you happen to be. Born to play Rudyard's on a weekend, when no one gives a shit what happened to their dates, or their car keys."
- Chris Gray, Houston Press

Overdrive
American Sharks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The bush cought fire on the mountain top
cant get higher, felt my heart begin to stop
am I a man, am i the last born man
cant stop in the afternoon
cant stop for my life is begining soon
am i a man
am i the last born man
cant stop till the end of time, sifting desert sand

you got half a brain
if you got half a brain
if you got half a brain, dont just talk talk talk talk,
come on baby get out
The bush cought fire on the mountain top
cant get higher, felt my heart begin to stop
am I a man, am i the last born man
demonic ore is the devils cross satiate me all of satans infinity
children, give me a glass bone eye
cant stop till the end of time, sifting desert sand

you got half a brain dont just talk talk talk talk,
come on baby get out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of American Sharks's song "Overdrive" are a chaotic and intense representation of a mind racing towards self-discovery, questioning its own identity and purpose. The opening lines depict a bush catching fire on a mountain top, which represents a moment of crisis and danger that triggers the singer's introspection. The following lines are a series of questions that the singer asks himself, trying to understand if he is a man or if he is the last of a kind, implying a sense of loneliness and isolation.

The later verses of the song are cryptic and obscure, adding to the overall chaotic nature of the lyrics. The usage of phrases like "sifting desert sand," "demonic ore," and "satans infinity" creates a feeling of immense pressure and uncertainty, as if the singer is fighting to keep his sanity while the world around him crumbles. The overall message seems to be a call for action, urging the listener to not just talk, but to act on their dreams and desires.

Line by Line Meaning

The bush cought fire on the mountain top
The dense vegetation on the mountain top caught fire and started to burn.

cant get higher, felt my heart begin to stop
Unable to climb any higher, my heart began to feel weak and struggled to keep going.

am I a man, am i the last born man
Questioning whether I am truly a man, or the last of my kind.

cant stop in the afternoon
I must keep going relentlessly, even in the hot afternoon sun.

cant stop for my life is begining soon
My life is about to change drastically, and there is no time to waste resting.

am i a man
I am still questioning my own masculinity and humanity.

am i the last born man
I am questioning whether I am the last of my kind to be born, and what that means for my future.

cant stop till the end of time, sifting desert sand
I will continue to push forward until the end of my days, even if it means endlessly sifting through desert sand.

you got half a brain
Addressing someone else's lack of intelligence.

if you got half a brain
Stating that if the person addressed has any intelligence whatsoever.

dont just talk talk talk talk,
Telling the person addressed that they need to stop talking and take action.

come on baby get out
Urging someone to take action and leave their current situation.

demonic ore is the devils cross satiate me all of satans infinity
Making a reference to demonic or evil substances or energies that are consuming and addictive.

children, give me a glass bone eye
Demanding something that is strange and unsettling, possibly related to the demonic substance referenced earlier.

Contributed by Sarah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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