… Read Full Bio ↴Hepcat are a third wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989.
Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave.
Hepcat's debut album, "Out of Nowhere" was released in 1994 on New York-based ska label Moon Records. Two years later, they followed it up with "Scientific" on BYO Records. In 1998, after signing with Epitaph Records subsidiary HellCat Records, they released "Right on Time," scoring a modest hit with the swinging "No Worries" and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. 2000 saw the release of "Push n' Shove," their first album without founding members Raul Talavera and Alex Désert, although the latter appears as a guest vocalist on two tracks.
The band went on indefinite hiatus after 2000, and no new material has surfaced since. Trumpeter Kincaid Smith formed Soul Traffic, a five-piece funk band. Drummer Scott Abels has played with the Rancid side project Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and the southern California reggae act The Aggrolites. Vocalist Alex Desert has had a successful career in film and television, appearing in the movies PCU, Swingers, and High Fidelity; and the television show Becker.
In early 2004, a remastered version of Out of Nowhere was released with two additional bonus tracks, an early version of "Nigel" and "Club Meditation," both of which appeared on their first single. Occasionally, Hepcat reconvenes to play a few shows a year in the California area. Often, this lineup is that which performed on "Scientific."
They take their name from a term for a 1940s-50s jazz musician.
Police Woman
Hepcat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the strength and the power of a system,
Working for you
Driving down the street (down the lane)
And to pick me up
You make me take your silly test (down the lane)
Police woman, police woman, police woman...
Police woman, can you be true
And you once were so kind and so gentle
Now, what's come over you
See you in the car and you look so sweet
Smiling all the while, you belittle me
Police woman, police woman, police woman...
You're always on my mind...
Anywhere I go, I feel your presence there
You thrive on negativity and envoking fear
Oh police woman, oh police woman, oh police,
Oh police, oh police, oh police (oh police woman...)
The song "Police Woman" by Hepcat is an ode to the tension and fear that the police force can evoke among civilians. The lyrics express the frustration and submission that individuals feel at the hands of the police, especially when they are subjected to arbitrary and unjust tests. The song starts with the singer addressing the police woman directly, acknowledging the power and strength that she holds as a representative of a system. As the song progresses, the tone of the lyrics turn sadder and more introspective as the singer wonders if the police woman can still be the kind and gentle person she once was. The singer notes the constant presence of the police woman in his life, regardless of where he goes or what he does, and the fear and negativity that she seems to thrive on. The refrain "Police woman, police woman, police woman... you're always on my mind" echoes the idea that the police force is an ever-present force in society that is difficult to ignore.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the power dynamic between the police and civilians in society. In many cases, the police force can be violent, oppressive, and arbitrary, leading to a feeling of helplessness among the people it is supposed to protect. The song captures this sense of powerlessness and frustration, while also commenting on the human impact of those actions. The police woman is portrayed as a person who is capable of kindness and gentleness, but who has been corrupted by the system she represents. This symbolism speaks to the broader issues of systemic oppression and the ways in which individuals can be complicit in hurting others.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh police woman, what can I do
Addressing the power dynamic between the singer and the police officer, with the latter wielding an overwhelming level of authority and control.
You're the strength and the power of a system,
Acknowledging the role of the police officer as a representative of a larger power structure, and the inherent authority they possess.
Working for you
Implicitly recognizing that the police officer is not working for the singer or the community they serve, but rather for their own interests and the interests of the state.
Driving down the street (down the lane)
Describing the ubiquitous nature of police presence, omnipresent and ever-vigilant.
And to pick me up
Highlighting the arbitrary and unpredictable nature of police encounters, and the uncertainty and fear that they can provoke.
You make me take your silly test (down the lane)
Questioning the legitimacy of police procedures, and the ways in which they can be capricious and absurd.
Police woman, police woman, police woman...
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the constant presence of policing in the singer's life, and to emphasize their unease and discomfort with this reality.
You're always on my mind...
Conveying the sense of anxiety and preoccupation that pervades the artist's life due to the omnipresence of policing.
Police woman, can you be true
Asking the police officer if they can be honest and transparent, and if they can truly serve and protect the community they are supposed to be serving.
And you once were so kind and so gentle
Contrasting the artist's prior perception of police as kind and compassionate with their current experience of police as oppressive and abusive.
Now, what's come over you
Highlighting the ways in which the police have become increasingly aggressive and militarized, and questioning the motives and intentions behind these changes.
See you in the car and you look so sweet
Observing the ways in which police can present a friendly and disarming exterior, despite their underlying power and dominance.
Smiling all the while, you belittle me
Highlighting the ways in which police can use their power to demean and diminish the individual, using their authority to accumulate power and status.
Anywhere I go, I feel your presence there
Emphasizing the ways in which policing is both ubiquitous and oppressive, with no place immune to the reach of the state and its agents.
You thrive on negativity and envoking fear
Describing the ways in which police can use fear and intimidation to maintain control, and the ways in which this feeds into a broader culture of negativity and suspicion.
Oh police woman, oh police woman, oh police, Oh police, oh police, oh police (oh police woman...)
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the ways in which policing dominates and defines the artist's life, and to capture the pervasive sense of anxiety and oppression they experience.
Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.