Pickpocket
At the Drive-In Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hummed the smell of television snow
A faint S.O.S. flickering
Riding on the coattails of their ground zero
Neighborhood footprints ingrown
The daylight savings time will never know
Of this alabaster cold
Dental identities will tell us apart
Teeth marked and bounded with sighs
Step into my parlor
Said the spider to the fly
Stable hooved footprints ingrown
Cloak and dagger muzak blared in ohms
In this alabaster cold
Ingrown!
More caliber per capita
Breakfast table search team implodes
The milk cartons that pour will never
Know of this alabaster cold
The lyrics of At the Drive-In’s song ‘Pickpocket’ contain a rich tapestry of imagery, drawing on the senses and themes of perception and identity. The opening verse sets the scene in a striking manner, with the “humble stench of nativity” and “smell of television snow” evoking the sensory details of a particular time and place. This serves as a backdrop for the enigmatic “S.O.S. flickering” which is “riding on the coattails of their ground zero”. The implication is of some kind of distress signal being sent out from a position of powerlessness.
The next verse shifts focus to the more personal level of “dental identities”, with the suggestion that teeth and the accompanying “sighs” can reveal a great deal about a person’s inner life. This sets up the final image of the spider inviting the fly into his “parlor”. The idea of being lured in and trapped is one that resonates through the lyrics, reflecting a sense of danger and vulnerability.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of things being embedded or ingrown, from the “neighborhood footprints ingrown” to the “stable hooved footprints ingrown”. This creates a sense of entrapment, of being unable to extricate oneself from one’s environment. The repeated refrain of “alabaster cold” reinforces the sense of a world that is sterile and unforgiving, where even the milk cartons seem oblivious to the suffering around them.
Overall, the lyrics of ‘Pickpocket’ are a masterful exercise in poetic ambiguity, inviting interpretation and analysis while remaining somewhat enigmatic and inscrutable.
Line by Line Meaning
In the humble stench of nativity
In the simple beginnings of our existence
Hummed the smell of television snow
The air smelled of static and white noise, like a snowy television screen
A faint S.O.S. flickering
A faint signal of distress
Riding on the coattails of their ground zero
Riding on the remnants of a catastrophic event
Neighborhood footprints ingrown
The pathways of this community have been well-worn and confined
The daylight savings time will never know
The time will remain unchanged, without regard for the events that transpire in this place
Of this alabaster cold
Of this frigid, colorless atmosphere
Dental identities will tell us apart
Our unique dental features will distinguish us from one another
Teeth marked and bounded with sighs
Teeth that bear the marks of our struggles and hardships
Step into my parlor
Enter this trap that I have set for you
Said the spider to the fly
A warning to not fall prey to temptation
Stable hooved footprints ingrown
The tracks of horses have etched themselves into the ground
Cloak and dagger muzak blared in ohms
The music played covertly and ominously in the background
In this alabaster cold
In this pale, unforgiving chill
Ingrown!
Embedded and confined!
More caliber per capita
Increased strength and capability relative to the population size
Breakfast table search team implodes
The hunt for answers and solutions comes crashing down
The milk cartons that pour will never
The cartons of milk that gush out will never understand
Know of this alabaster cold
Comprehend the extent of this lifeless, icy environment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CEDRIC BIXLER, JIM WARD, OMAR RODRIGUEZ, PABLO HINOJOS, TONY HAJJAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind