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.

Ursa Minor
At the Drive-In Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Does it hurt you when you breathe?
Stink around the wallet itch
A towel was thrown between the ropes
Sweat inside your eyelids
It exorcised the fire from the sky
(Snakecharmer, make them dance again)
It exorcised the fire from the sky
(Make them itch in kerosene dance)

Prepare your sleep apparatus
Autopsy performed on probable cause
While you sleep
They will come and get you tonight
(So I guess this is goodnight)

Skip with elbowed sobs
Your palms were soaking wet
Parched in the stupor
Elbowed, teach the tutor
Peel the scabs
Incognito with wounds
This anecdote fountain
Won't dry too soon

Five hundred times
"I must not talk out of turn."

No vents opened
But all settlements new
A second native
For deserved growth

Permission to land
All systems go
Propeller snapped
Decapitated while you slept
Upon your pillow

Inertia kisses those around me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of At The Drive-In's song Ursa Minor convey a surrealistic and distressing landscape, where the singer and the listener are immersed in a claustrophobic atmosphere that feels almost suffocating. The opening lines "Does it hurt you when you breathe? Stink around the wallet itch" set the tone of unease and discomfort that permeates throughout the song. It seems as if the air itself has turned corrosive, and even the act of breathing becomes a source of pain and discomfort. The reference to the "wallet itch" adds to the overall sense of material decay and societal decline that is present throughout the song.

The following verses are even more enigmatic and twisted, with the imagery becoming increasingly bizarre and nightmarish. The lines "Sweat inside your eyelids/It exorcised the fire from the sky" are particularly striking, and they convey a sense of burning intensity that is both destructive and purifying at the same time. The repeated refrain "Snakecharmer, make them dance again/Make them itch in kerosene dance" hints at some sort of mystical ritual, where the participants are both controlled and consumed by the flames.

Line by Line Meaning

Does it hurt you when you breathe?
Asking if the listener is in emotional pain

Stink around the wallet itch
Money smell causes greed

A towel was thrown between the ropes
An attempt to reconcile or end a confrontation

Sweat inside your eyelids
Feeling anxious or stressed

It exorcised the fire from the sky
A successful attempt to put out a fire

(Snakecharmer, make them dance again)
A call to action for someone with persuasive powers

(Make them itch in kerosene dance)
An attempt to cause discomfort to others

Prepare your sleep apparatus
Get ready for bed

Autopsy performed on probable cause
A medical examination to determine the cause of death

While you sleep
During your period of unconsciousness

They will come and get you tonight
An ominous warning of impending danger

(So I guess this is goodnight)
A resigned acceptance of fate

Skip with elbowed sobs
A hurried, emotional departure

Your palms were soaking wet
Feeling nervous or anxious

Parched in the stupor
Feeling thirsty and disoriented

Elbowed, teach the tutor
A physical altercation to correct someone's behavior

Peel the scabs
Reopening old wounds

Incognito with wounds
Concealing emotional pain or trauma

This anecdote fountain
A source of stories or memories

Won't dry too soon
Will take a long time to forget

Five hundred times
A hyperbole for repetition

"I must not talk out of turn."
A mantra to oneself to stay on track

No vents opened
Feeling stifled or trapped

But all settlements new
Starting fresh in a new environment

A second native
Acclimating to a new home

For deserved growth
Working towards self-improvement and prosperity

Permission to land
Permission to enter or start something

All systems go
Everything is in place and ready

Propeller snapped
Equipment failure or unexpected setback

Decapitated while you slept
A metaphorical or actual betrayal

Upon your pillow
Something being taken or destroyed while you were vulnerable

Inertia kisses those around me
A state of immobility or complacency affecting those nearby

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS