The title "Reptilia" refers to the "Reptilian complex", the central part of one's brain that handles basic emotions such as love and hate.
The cover of the single features the artwork from the cabinet of the 1980 arcade game Centipede by Atari.
The music video for the song was their first that was not directed by Roman Coppola. Instead they chose Jake Scott to shoot the video, which features close shots of the band members' faces and hands while performing the song. At the end of the video, Julian Casablancas spits at the camera lens.
The song is a playable track in the video games Rock Band and in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The minor difference is that the overexposed effect on Casablancas' vocals is removed.
Reptilia
Strokes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Tell us a story
I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist.
"You sound so sleepy
Just take this, now leave me"
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough.
Now every time that I look at myself
"I though I told you
This world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"You sound so angry
Just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough.
The lyrics of the Strokes' song "Reptilia" are open to interpretation, but one possible interpretation is that it's a conversation between two people, and the singer is trying to take control of the situation. The first lines show that the other person is impressed by the singer's arrival and wants to hear a story. However, the singer is afraid that the other person is going to hinder their progress, but the other person doesn't want to let go. The singer tries to speed up the pace, and the other person tells them to calm down. The singer knows that they're in a strange part of town and needs to keep moving.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more assertive, and the other person seems less in control. The line "our lives are changing lanes" suggests that both characters are going through a transition or a change, and the singer is more prepared to overcome obstacles. Suddenly, the other person becomes a hindrance and runs the singer off the road. However, the singer is not giving up and is taking over the situation. The last line "I'm not drowning fast enough" might suggest that the singer is struggling, but they're not losing their head just yet.
Overall, "Reptilia" seems to be a story of someone who is trying to take control of their life, but they're hindered by an outside force. However, they're not willing to give up, and they're determined to take over the situation. The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, and the characters might represent different aspects of life or people in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
He seemed impressed by the way you came in,
The singer noticed that someone was in awe of the way another person entered the room.
"Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"
The impressed person asked the other person to share an interesting tale because they knew they were not a dull individual.
I was afraid that you would not insist.
The singer was apprehensive that the other person would not persist with an idea or request.
"You sound so sleepy, Just take this, now leave me"
The other person gave a sleepy impression which prompted the artist to offer them something before asking them to depart.
I said please don't slow me down, If I'm going too fast
The artist asked the other person to not hinder their pace if they felt like they were moving at a rapid pace.
You're in a strange part of our town
The other person was in an unfamiliar and possibly dangerous part of the town.
Yeah, the night's not over, You're not trying hard enough, Our lives are changing lanes, You ran me off the road, The wait is over
The singer felt like the night was not yet concluded, believed the other person was not putting in enough effort, thought their lives were diverging, accused the other person of causing them trouble, and felt like their patience with the other person had run out.
I'm now taking over, You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough.
The artist inferred that they were taking control of the situation, and believed that the other person had stopped taking the matter flippantly. The artist also felt like they were not succumbing to their difficulties quickly enough.
Now every time that I look at myself, "I thought I told you, This world is not for you"
Whenever the artist evaluates themselves, they remember warning the other person that they did not belong in the world.
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair, "You sound so angry, Just calm down, you found me"
The artist noted that the room was charged with emotion as someone was putting their hair in order. The other person was sounding irate, and the artist tried to mollify them by telling them that they were there for them.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JULIAN CASABLANCAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ihaverabies17
He seemed impressed by the way you came in
"Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist
"You sound so sleepy, just take this, now leave me"
I said, please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you, this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"You sound so angry, just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
@Darkopolypse98
[LYRICS]
He seemed impressed by the way you came in
"Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist
"You sound so sleepy, just take this, now leave me"
I said, please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you, this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"You sound so angry, just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
@--ghostygp6531
Lyrics: dale a cantar compa
He seemed impressed by the way you came in
"Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist
"You sound so sleepy, just take this, now leave me"
I said, please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you, this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"You sound so angry, just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
@CarlosSebastian-iy2ww
Lyrics:
He seemed impressed by the way you came in
Tell us a story, I know you're not boring
I was afraid that you would not insist
You sound so sleepy, just take this, now leave me
I said: Please don't slow me down
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road
The wait is over
I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough
Now every time that I look at myself
I thought I told you, this world is not for you
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
You sound so angry, just calm down, you found me
I said: Please don't slow me down
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road
The wait is over
I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough.
@IvanGonzalez-pi2cz
He seemed impressed by the way you came in.
"Tell us a story
I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist.
"You sound so sleepy
just take this, now leave me"
I said please don't slow me down
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town...
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough.
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you
this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"you sound so angry
just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down
If I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town...
Yeah, the night's not over
You're not trying hard enough,
Our lives are changing lanes
You ran me off the road,
The wait is over
I'm now taking over,
You're no longer laughing
I'm not drowning fast enough.
@nataliagonzalez3534
He seemed impressed by the way you came in,
"tell us a story
i know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist.
"you sound so sleepy
just take this, now leave me"
I said please don't slow me down
if i'm going too fast
you're in a strange part of our town...
Yeah, the night's not over
you're not trying hard enough,
our lives are changing lanes
you ran me off the road,
the wait is over
i'm now taking over,
you're no longer laughing
i'm not drowning fast enough.
Now everytime that i look at myself
"i though i told you
this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"you sound so angry
just calm down, you found me"
I said please don't slow me down
if i'm going too fast
you're in a strange part of our town...
Yeah, the night's not over
you're not trying hard enough,
our lives are changing lanes
you ran me off the road,
the wait is over
i'm now taking over,
you're no longer laughing
i'm not drowning fast enough.
@Pride317
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
He seemed impressed by the way you came in
"Tell us a story, I know you're not boring"
I was afraid that you would not insist
"You sound so sleepy, just take this, now leave me"
[Pre-Chorus]
I said please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
[Chorus]
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
[Verse 2]
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you, this world is not for you"
The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair
"You sound so angry, just calm down, you found me"
[Pre-Chorus]
I said please don't slow me down if I'm going too fast
You're in a strange part of our town
[Chorus]
Yeah, the night's not over, you're not trying hard enough
Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road
The wait is over, I'm now taking over
You're no longer laughing, I'm not drowning fast enough
@Vitorio582
Loded Diper really changed their style
@kingsleyodyssey4933
good joke.
@coaster123x7
You just brought back so many memories
@adindotable
thanks for this, dude. i needed the laugh
@churroz4255
LMFAO
@spennythespoo
Thank you for making this comment.
@mgupitas
he sounds so sleepy yet so energized
@b1ttersw3et
just take this now leave me
@LtFarns
Tru🤣
@musicandguns
EEPY AND READY