Jim Carroll (born August 1, 1950 in New York City, died September 11, 2009 … Read Full Bio ↴Jim Carroll (born August 1, 1950 in New York City, died September 11, 2009 in New York City) was an author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll is best known for his 1978 novel The Basketball Diaries, which was made into a movie in 1995 starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Raised in New York City, Carroll attended several Catholic Grammar Schools from 1955 to 1963. In fall 1963, he entered public school, but was soon awarded a scholarship to the elite Trinity High School (a private school). He entered Trinity High School in 1964.

Apart from being interested in writing, Carroll was a passionate basketball player throughout his grade school and middle school career. He entered the "Biddy League" at age 13 and participated in the National High School All Star Game in 1966, hence the title of his most famous book.

As a teenager, Carroll was a heroin addict who sometimes prostituted himself to afford his habit. The novel The Basketball Diaries concerns his life in New York City's hard drug culture and his struggle to rid himself of his addiction.

Carroll published his first book, Organic Trains, at age 17. Several of his poems have been published in such magazines as Paris Review and Poetry. In 1970, his second collection of poems, 4 Ups and 1 Down was published. That same year, Carroll started working for Andy Warhol. At first, he was writing film dialogue and inventing character names; later on, Carroll worked as the co-manager of Warhol's Theater. Carroll's first above-ground publication, the collection Living At The Movies was published in 1973.

He formed The Jim Carroll Band, a New Wave/punk rock group, in 1980. Their biggest commercial success was the single "People Who Died," from their debut album, Catholic Boy. He has also collaborated with many influential punk and hard rock musicians, including Lou Reed, Blue Öyster Cult, Boz Scaggs and Rancid.

As of 2006 he was still at work on his first novel tentatively titled The Petting Zoo. The book had been in the works for well over a decade and was apparently near completion.

Voices
Jim Carroll Band Lyrics

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Bob drives taxis when the meter runs
Bobby hears the music when it's done
He hears the voices
He hears the voices

Wheels on rain, lightning from the storm
Bobby takes the gas
Pedal to the floor

The voices
He hears the voices

Coming from the traffic,
Coming from the cube
Like the cry of babies
Passing through a tube
Voices run inside you

Jill breathes carbon trailing from the bus, it's like
Staring in the eyes of Lazarus
The voices
She hears the voices

Like a starving whisper no one ever heard
Like an epileptic hummingbird
The voices
She hears the voices

Coming from the traffic,
Coming from the cube
Like the cry of babies
Passing through a tube
Voices run inside you

Sal and Liz sitting at the Zoo
Sal says "I do . . . but Liz do you
Hear the voices
Do you hear the voices?"

Everything relaxes, everything is gray
Trapped in glass . . . on display
The voices
They hear all the voices

Coming from the traffic,
Coming from the cube
Like the cry of babies
Passing through a tube
Voices run inside you

Gwynne is bored with all the rules and names
She wants her life to be a video game
The voices
She hears the voices

Too much control
The have have not
Slide another quarter into the slot
The voices
She hears the voices

Coming from the traffic,
Coming from the cube
Like the cry of babies

Passing through a tube
Voices run inside you

Overall Meaning

The Jim Carroll Band's song "Voices" explores the concept of voices that our minds hear in different situations. The verses introduce us to different characters - Bob, Jill, Sal, and Liz - who all hear different types of voices. Bob is a taxi driver who hears voices when the music stops, whereas Jill breathes carbon trailing from the bus and hears voices like a starving whisper. Sal and Liz sitting at the zoo can hear voices trapped in glass on display, and Gwynne is bored with all the rules and names, hearing voices that slide another quarter into the slot. The chorus makes it clear that the voices are coming from the traffic, from the cube, like the cry of babies passing through a tube, and the voices themselves run inside you.

It is debatable whether the voices that the song mentions are real or imaginary. Still, it highlights the fact that our environment might significantly influence our perception of reality - the traffic, the cube possibly meant to represent the workplace or a white-collar setting, or the zoo serving as a metaphor for society. It can be seen that the voices are a manifestation of the individual's struggles within their respective environments, and it is symbolic of the constant hum of life's anxieties, demands, and expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

Bob drives taxis when the meter runs
Bob works when there's demand, he's taking jobs when the timing's right.

Bobby hears the music when it's done
Bobby listens to the echoes of the tunes, long after the songs are over.

He hears the voices
He hears the auditory hallucinations of his thoughts or other people's thoughts.

Wheels on rain, lightning from the storm
During a stormy night, transportation keeps on moving despite the weather.

Bobby takes the gas Pedal to the floor The voices He hears the voices
Bobby accelerates as fast as he can from something. He's trying to escape the voices he's hearing.

Coming from the traffic, Coming from the cube Like the cry of babies Passing through a tube Voices run inside you
The noises from everyday life get trapped and amplified in your mind like they're echoes bouncing off tube-like structures.

Jill breathes carbon trailing from the bus, it's like Staring in the eyes of Lazarus The voices She hears the voices
Jill inhales toxic fumes from an exhaust pipe, it's suffocating her. She feels like she's face-to-face with death the same way Lazarus had felt.

Like a starving whisper no one ever heard Like an epileptic hummingbird The voices She hears the voices
The sounds Jill's hearing are faint to the point of being inaudible. It's like a soundless, twitching bird and it's tormenting Jill.

Sal and Liz sitting at the Zoo Sal says "I do . . . but Liz do you Hear the voices Do you hear the voices?"
Sal and Liz are at a zoo, but Sal's preoccupied with hearing voices. He shares this experience with Liz, asking her if she's able to hear them too.

Everything relaxes, everything is gray Trapped in glass . . . on display The voices They hear all the voices
Everything in life seems monotonous, mundane and dull. They're trapped in a display case of expectations for their life. Although, they're still listening to the voices in their heads.

Gwynne is bored with all the rules and names She wants her life to be a video game The voices She hears the voices
Gwynne is rejecting societal norms and status quos, she wants life to be like a video game. She's listening to the clamor of the voices in her head despite this.

Too much control The have have not Slide another quarter into the slot The voices She hears the voices
There are dominant and oppressed groups of people. Individuals feel like they lack freedom of control. They try to self-medicate and stop the voices by numbing their minds with something else.

Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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