At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, for… Read Full Bio ↴At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band most recently consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums) and Keeley Davis (guitar, vocals). After several early line-up changes, the band solidified into a five-piece, consisting of Bixler-Zavala, Rodríguez-López, Jim Ward, Hinojos and Hajjar. At the Drive-In released three studio albums and five EPs before breaking up in 2001. Their third and final album before their split, 2000's Relationship of Command, received a number of accolades and is cited as a landmark recording. Following the breakup, Bixler-Zavala and Rodríguez-López formed the Mars Volta while Ward, Hinojos, and Hajjar formed Sparta. At the Drive-In reunited in January 2012 and played the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as the 2012 Lollapalooza Festival. In 2016, the band reunited for a second time, with guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Jim Ward no longer participating. He was replaced by Sparta's Keeley Davis. The band released their fourth studio album, in•ter a•li•a, in 2017. At the Drive In headlined the Neon Desert Music Festival in 2018 in El Paso, Texas. The band announced an indefinite hiatus in November 2018.

01-Star Slight
At the Drive-In Lyrics

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We've paid that shoeshine boy
whose buff has no smile
He spits on your tip toes
and you keep bragging folklore
like it's out of style
out of focus
Harum scarum
we promote this

cover discover

You know your insides true
Better then I do

This is starslight.

Overall Meaning

"Stasrlight" by At the Drive-In is a song that deals with the theme of power and control. The opening lines "we've paid that shoeshine boy, whose buff has no smile, he spits on your tip toes, and you keep bragging folklore" are a metaphor for those who feel they have complete control over others, even to the point of making them do unpleasant things. The shoeshine boy is at their mercy, and they're enjoying the power they have over him. The line "like it's out of style, out of focus" speaks to the transient nature of feeling powerful. The sense of importance fades away quickly, and in the end, it doesn't really matter.

The next line "Harum scarum, we promote this, cover discover" is a commentary on the way people in power often do whatever it takes to maintain that position, even if it means concealing things. The last line of this verse "you know your insides true, better than I do" is someone speaking to themselves. They're realizing that they know who they are deep inside, better than anyone else. This suggests an internal struggle with identity, self-worth, and trying to find one's place in a world that is constantly changing.

Line by Line Meaning

We've paid that shoeshine boy
We have compensated the shoeshine boy for his services

whose buff has no smile
The shoeshine boy's shine is lackluster and unsatisfactory

He spits on your tip toes
The shoeshine boy uses saliva to clean the customer's shoes

and you keep bragging folklore
The customer keeps boasting about irrelevant stories

like it's out of style
The stories being told are outdated and uninteresting

out of focus
The shoeshine boy's attention to detail is lacking

Harum scarum
The situation is unpredictable and chaotic

we promote this
We encourage and perpetuate this behavior

cover discover
We hide and reveal secrets

You know your insides true
You are aware of your true feelings and emotions

Better then I do
You understand your internal state better than I understand it

This is starslight.
This is a moment of profound realization or enlightenment

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ADAM AMPERAN, CEDRIC BIXLER, OMAR RODRIGUEZ, RYAN SAWYER, JIM WARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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