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.

Picket Fence Cartel
At the Drive-In Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We all become
What we most dislike
In this picket fence cartel
Tell? There's nothing left to tell

What have we become
Cycle all over again
Filled the shoes 'til I was ten

In front of the classroom
In front of my peers
That day will always be remembered
'Cause it was etched in tears

Daddy taught well
At the end of his belt

We all become
What we most dislike
The walk is too long and I'm tired
Tell? There's nothing left to tell

What will I become
When it's my turn again
Will it hurt me more than it hurts them
Scotch tape the volume of my mouth
Withhold the expression
That I wasn't allowed

Daddy taught well
At the end of his belt

Overall Meaning

At the Drive-In's song, Picket Fence Cartel, speaks on the cycle of abuse and the repercussions that follow. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation, as the singer reflects on the intergenerational trauma that has been inflicted upon them. The first line of the song, "We all become what we most dislike," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is acknowledging that they have become the very thing that they feared and despised, as a result of their upbringing. The picket fence cartel, a reference to suburban life and conformity, is also representative of the societal norms that dictate how we should behave, suppressing the very essence of who we are.

The second verse of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer reflects on their childhood. They had to fill the shoes of their father, who was a teacher, and perform in front of their peers, all while being subjected to abuse at home. The line, "Daddy taught well at the end of his belt," is a painful reminder of the physical abuse that the singer had to endure. The song is an honest portrayal of the effects of abuse, how it perpetuates itself over generations, and how it can leave a lasting mark.

Line by Line Meaning

We all become
As we grow up, it seems that we become exactly what we dislike the most in life

What we most dislike
The very things that we despise in others often become a part of our own personality

In this picket fence cartel
We are trapped in a world of conformity and social expectations

Tell? There's nothing left to tell
We are tired of pretending to be something we are not and have nothing more to say

What have we become
We have repeated the same patterns of behavior and are stuck in a never-ending cycle

Cycle all over again
We continue to make the same mistakes, reliving the same experiences repeatedly

Filled the shoes 'til I was ten
We adopt roles and expectations from a young age, often before we fully understand them

In front of the classroom
We are constantly being judged by others and are expected to perform to a certain level

In front of my peers
Our social group and their opinions play a critical role in shaping our identity and behavior

That day will always be remembered
There are certain moments in our lives that have a profound impact on us

'Cause it was etched in tears
Our emotions and experiences become etched in our memories, sometimes leaving lasting scars

Daddy taught well
Our parents and caregivers have a significant influence on our behavior and beliefs

At the end of his belt
Punishment, both physical and emotional, is often used as a means of shaping behavior and enforcing discipline

The walk is too long and I'm tired
We are exhausted from pretending to be someone we are not and are tired of living up to other people's expectations

What will I become
We wonder what kind of person we will become and whether we will be able to break free from the limitations of our past

When it's my turn again
We know that we will inevitably be faced with similar situations and challenges in the future

Will it hurt me more than it hurts them
We question whether we are doing harm to ourselves by trying to meet the expectations of others

Scotch tape the volume of my mouth
We feel like we are not allowed to speak our minds or express ourselves freely

Withhold the expression
We keep our thoughts and feelings bottled up inside to avoid conflict or negative consequences

That I wasn't allowed
We feel like our true selves and our desires have been suppressed and ignored

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN RODRIGUEZ, CEDRIC BIXLER, OMAR RODRIGUEZ, PABLO HINOJOS, TONY HAJJAR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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