Amidst a volatile social climate and a stagnated musical one, the quartet pulls from a variety of influences, experiences, and personal traits with the unified objective of challenging both listeners and each other while keeping the razor's edge of contemporary counter-culture audio and lyricism sharp.
Gatekeeper
Olehole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To keep the w.a.s.p. hive pristine
Scrape the dirt from our shoes
To keep this white carpet clean
Quarantine
And erode
Sterilize
Class cast
Supremacy
A boys club
Under lock and key
Bury the vibrance
Underneath the picket fence
Sweep out the gutters
Tear out the weeds
Scrub the dirt from our hands
Wash until it bleeds
If the rivers don't drown them
We'll let the hounds surround them
Bless - the steady hand
Covet - this holy land
Do your war whimpers fill up the void?
Let's build a wall
At its core, "Gatekeeper" is a song that critiques the notion of gatekeeping and exclusionary practices. The lyrics depict a desire to maintain a "pristine" environment by excluding those who do not fit into a narrow definition of acceptability. The image of building a wall immediately conjures up associations with border control and immigration policies, highlighting the fact that gatekeeping can take many forms.
The verse "Class cast, Supremacy, A boys club, Under lock and key" suggests that these exclusionary practices go beyond physical barriers, but are rooted in social structures that reinforce power imbalances. The line "Bury the vibrance, underneath the picket fence" further emphasizes the idea that anything deemed "different" or "other" must be hidden away in order to maintain a certain image or status quo.
The second half of the song takes a darker turn, with references to drowning and hounds surrounding people. The final line, "Do your war whimpers fill up the void?" suggests that the desire for control and exclusivity is ultimately a manifestation of fear and insecurity.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's build a wall
Let's create a barrier to separate us from anybody different from us.
To keep the w.a.s.p. hive pristine
To maintain the purity of a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant community.
Scrape the dirt from our shoes
Remove any trace of association with what we consider undesirable or unworthy.
To keep this white carpet clean
To maintain an image of purity, cleanliness, and unity (as represented by the color white).
Quarantine
Isolate or place in quarantine anyone who poses a perceived threat to our community.
And erode
Gradually wear away or weaken the qualities that do not align with our beliefs or values.
Sterilize
Remove any impurities or imperfections that we consider undesirable, such as cultural differences, etc.
And implode
Collapse inwardly due to the pressure of being too homogeneous or too insular with too little diversity.
Class cast
A social hierarchy that marginalizes and disenfranchises people based on their classes, races, religions, etc.
Supremacy
The belief that one group is superior to all others, leading to a sense of entitlement and domination.
A boys club
An exclusive group of males that excludes other genders and enforces strict codes of behavior.
Under lock and key
Closely guarding and controlling who has access to certain places or privileges, especially those considered sacred or high status.
Bury the vibrance
Suppress or bury the unique voices, perspectives, and experiences of diverse groups in our community.
Underneath the picket fence
Concealing biases and prejudices under a facade of suburban niceness and conformity.
Sweep out the gutters
Removing the outcasts, the impoverished, and the marginalized from our community, making them invisible to us.
Tear out the weeds
Removing anything that we consider undesirable, such as people, ideas, or behaviors that do not fit in neatly with our image of an ideal community.
Scrub the dirt from our hands
Eradicating any traces of guilt, mistakes or wrongdoing that we may have been involved in or contributed to.
Wash until it bleeds
Continuously purging ourselves of anything that might tarnish our image, even if it requires a great deal of effort, sacrifice, or pain.
If the rivers don't drown them
If other means of oppression, exclusion or intolerance do not work, we will resort to drowning them.
We'll let the hounds surround them
We will unleash our enforcers (the hounds of our system) on anyone who dares to question or challenge our authority or our way of life.
Bless - the steady hand
Praise anyone who maintains the status quo, suppresses dissent or enforces conformity.
Covet - this holy land
Desire and claim ownership of this land, as if it were sacred, chosen or entitled for us alone.
Do your war whimpers fill up the void?
Do you need to prove your allegiance to our cause by making war-like noises, even if they sound weak or false?
Contributed by Kayla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.