Having already served successful tours in the Northwest punk bands Thrillhammer, Hazel (two albums on Sub Pop records) and the rambunctious bluegrass band Golden Delicious, Pete Krebs has emerged as one of the most consistently engaging contemporary singer-songwriters. Much like his friend and collaborator Elliott Smith, Krebs uses his more rock-oriented roots to drive his intensely introspective songs. Both Krebs and Smith have passed through early periods of extremely stripped down solo recordings to tackling grander ambitions with more sonically dense collaborative works.
Debuting as a solo musician in 1995 on Cavity Search Records, Krebs' starkly acoustic Brigadier immediately established him as one of the more impressive voices in the crowded singer-songwriter idiom.
Firepower
Pete Krebs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On to her things 'cause you
Know
Everything's gone that made
Them perfect
And besides they'd only hurt me
I got photographs and
Friendship rings
"I don't want them anymore," she
Said
"I don't need them anymore."
And I lose any way I go
I guess you heard I'm dying slow
Firepower in my bones
Chain reaction
Dropping notes from poisoned
Pens
Freaking out and then
Wondering
Why my letters were never
Opened
Words were never spoken
Acting dumb playing kiss and
Tell
All the things I brought on
Myself
Gotta be careful what you wish for
'Cause it's hard to go
Backwards
Sleepwalking trash
Hung up on a ghost from my
Past
Funny how I deserved it
Stuck on a line stuck on a curb
'Cause every bicycle looks like
Yours
And every phone is ringing
With a call to say you're leaving
The song "Firepower" by Pete Krebs is a haunting ballad that explores the themes of heartbreak, regret, and the consequences of our actions. The first verse sets the tone of the song, as the singer admits that he should not try to hold onto the things that remind him of his lost love. It's clear that everything that made those things perfect has been lost, and they would only bring him pain.
The chorus takes a more introspective turn as the singer reflects on his failures and struggles with addiction. He speaks of the "firepower in my bones," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the destructive power of his own addiction. He also mentions dropping notes from poisoned pens, suggesting that the words he writes are toxic and hurtful. The line "words were never spoken" adds to this idea, emphasizing that the communication between himself and his lover was never truly open and honest.
The second verse delves deeper into the themes of regret and self-blame, as the singer admits that he brought his heartbreak upon himself. He acknowledges that he acted foolishly and now must face the consequences of his choices. The final lines leave the listener with a sense of longing and wistfulness, as the singer describes the pain of seeing reminders of his lost love everywhere he goes.
Overall, "Firepower" is a poignant and introspective song that explores the universal themes of love, loss, and regret. It's a powerful reminder that our actions have consequences, and that we must be mindful of the choices we make.
Line by Line Meaning
I may as well not try to hold
The singer cannot hold on to the things that his partner left because it only reminds him of the memories they had together, and it hurts him more than anything.
On to her things 'cause you
He means that he cannot hold onto his partner's things.
Know
Pointing out the grim reality of his bereavement-having to lose all the stuff of his partner which attributed some value to them while they still persisted.
Everything's gone that made
Every emotion, every moment where the singer felt the happiness, everything's gone meaning his partner is gone forever.
Them perfect
All the memories which attributed value to their relationship and made it perfect, means nothing now.
And besides they'd only hurt me
Holding onto the things that attribute the value to their memory will eventually hurt him more and will not make him able to move on.
I got photographs and
These are the memories he had with his partner, moments they shared and everything else they had together.
Friendship rings
It signifies that they had a bond between them, which is now broken.
Boxes full of perfect dreams-
It symbolizes the perfect future that he had envisioned with her partner.
"I don't want them anymore," she
She does not want these memories and the things that he has kept safe to hold on to their past anymore, as it will only make it difficult for him to move on.
Said
She spoke her heart out, telling the reality that he needs to move on from their past and leave everything behind.
And I lose any way I go
The singer is lost and does not see any way out of the situation after the death of his partner.
I guess you heard I'm dying slow
His partner has already left and the wounds left by her are so deep that it feels like he is dying slowly.
Firepower in my bones
The singer is still holding on to his pain and despair, which is not letting him move on.
Chain reaction
The singer is so caught up in his thoughts and pain that he cannot come out of it and has gone into a never-ending chain reaction.
Dropping notes from poisoned
Everything the singer has to say is coming out wrong, which is hurting him even more.
Pens
The singer is expressing his thoughts through pen and the wrong thoughts are only making the situation worse.
Freaking out and then
The singer is anxious and stressed about the situation and the future, and it is affecting his mental health as well.
Wondering
He is still in a state of confusion and is still wondering what went wrong in the past.
Why my letters were never
The singer had written letters to his partner but never received any responses, which made it hurt him even more.
Opened
The letters that he had written remained unopened, and it made it worse for him.
Words were never spoken
There were a lot of words left unspoken between them, which made it even more difficult to move on.
Acting dumb playing kiss and
The singer is unable to express himself and his feelings, making it seem like he is acting dumb.
Tell
He is unable to talk about his feelings with others, which is making him suffer more.
All the things I brought on
All the emotions, all the memories, and all the things that he had shared with his partner, which were his own, have now only memories of the past.
Myself
The singer is holding himself accountable for the collapse of their relationship and his inability to protect his partner's life.
Gotta be careful what you wish for
The things that he had wished for and that he had with his partner are now gone forever, and he needed to be careful about what he had wished for in the future.
'Cause it's hard to go
Moving on from the past is not easy, and it is something that the singer is struggling with every day of his life.
Backwards
Going back to the memories is not going to bring back his partner, and it is something that he needs to understand to move on.
Sleepwalking trash
The singer is lost in his thoughts, and he moves around like a zombie trying to make sense of everything.
Hung up on a ghost from my
The singer cannot stop thinking about his partner, and it feels like she is there, even when she isn't.
Past
He is holding onto the memories of the past and is not able to move on.
Funny how I deserved it
The singer is blaming himself for everything he had with his partner's death and holds himself responsible for it.
Stuck on a line stuck on a curb
The singer is stuck, and it feels like he cannot move in any direction, and he is just standing there.
'Cause every bicycle looks like
Everything reminds him of his partner, and he cannot think of anything else.
Yours
He feels like everything belonged to his partner, and nothing belongs to him anymore.
And every phone is ringing
Every phone call just reminds him that his partner is not going to call him anymore.
With a call to say you're leaving
Her partner is gone forever, and everything reminds him of how she left him without any explanation or reason.
Contributed by Kylie N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
checkersf
Pretty good!
Jody Wheeler
I have a crush on this song