Scared Straigh… Read Full Bio ↴Ten Foot Pole was founded in 1983 as Scared Straight.
Scared Straight was a punk band from Simi Valley, California. The band was formed in 1983 by a group of friends and was originally called S.O.F. Original members were Scott Radinsky, Mike Thompson, Gary Gallanes and Dennis Jagard, who started the band to enter a "Battle of the Bands" competition at a local skate rink. After going through several members and name changes, they began playing with some "Nardcore" bands from nearby Oxnard, California, which helped them gain recognition. All of the Scared Straight records were released by Mystic Records.
In the early 1990s they changed their name to Ten Foot Pole. One of the reasons for the name change was to move away from the "straight-edge" reputation that followed the band with a name like Scared Straight. In the beginning, Ten Foot Pole had a reputation of being a more aggressive, hardcore punk band that likes to party and have fun. The band released two albums under their new name with the old lineup: Swill and Rev. After the release of Rev and a split EP with Sweden's Satanic Surfers, Radinsky was forced to leave the band due to his professional baseball commitments and Ten Foot Pole's desire to be a full-time touring band. From then on Dennis Jagard took over lead vocals for the band.
The next albums, Unleashed and Insider, developed a new fan base but lost some old time fans who preferred Scott's voice. This included decision makers at Epitaph Records, and the next album, Bad Mother Trucker, was released on Victory Records, followed by Subliminable Messages on Go-Kart Records. The band toured Europe to promote the album, along with Phinius Gage. Various musicians joined and left along the way as the band toured heavily in the US and Canada. Various members included Glen "Vegas" Murray Eric Cody, Kris Kwiatkowski, John Chapman, Dan Kelly, Chris Dalley, Keith Divel, Chris Del Rio, and Mike Levy who is a teacher in California, along with Kevin Ruggeri, who is an English teacher for Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Lead singer Dennis is a sound engineer, who has mixed for artists including Prince, Beck, AFI and Jimmy Eat World.
On 4 April 2009, the band ended a three-year hiatus with a show at the Riorock festival in Belgium, followed by some shows in California in late 2011 and a short tour in Australia in November 2012.
They were also featured 2000 in the Punk Goes Metal compilations performing a cover of "Love Song" by Tesla.
Kicked Out of Kindergarten
Ten Foot Pole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gabrielle and I crouched behind her dad's Plymouth Duster
sharing Ding Dongs
with chocolate smeared on both our chins and noses
Her Dad wore a frown as he
dragged me in to say sorry to the manager who made me walk
around in shiny handcuffs
He grabbed the microphone announced my story
A three-year-old red-handed thief and anyone could guess
Someday I'd get
Kicked Out Kicked Out of Kindergarten Kicked Out
I started school
saw the principal for crimes like blowing bubbles in milk or
having mud fights or spitting on blonde braided Karen Edwards
"Next time you'll get swats," he growled I'd be good for a week.
Until one day, the red... plastic box said "pull" I had to pull it
The ringing bells poured kids out every building
The office lady cried out "There's a family that's burning
While all the fire trucks race here to douse your false alarm."
That day I was Kicked Out...
Is it my genes? Or some faulty wiring in my head?
Maybe mom skipped church one week when she was sixteen
and I'm her punishment.
All through my schools
Every teacher knew my name on the first day of class
I learned the paddle hung on the office wall was not symbolic
At ten voted president but then impeached for a peace
sign I flashed in the 6th grade panoramic student photo
I got 3 days to contemplate my outlook
My Mom told me repent and read The Miracle of Forgiveness
But how could I start fresh and join upright society?
I knew I was Kicked Out...
pW Productions
The song “Kicked Out of Kindergarten” by the punk rock band Ten Foot Pole is a humorous and reflective commentary on the singer's experience and mindset as a rule-breaking troublemaker from an early age. The lyrical narrative begins with a scene of the singer and a friend sharing Ding Dongs outside of a Vons supermarket, hiding from Gabrielle's disapproving father behind his Plymouth Duster. The singer has been caught shoplifting and is dragged inside to apologize to the manager, who publicly shames him by announcing his misdeeds on the intercom. The chorus repeats the phrase “Kicked Out Kicked Out of Kindergarten Kicked Out” as a mock-repetitive refrain.
The second verse shifts to the singer's experience in school, where he is repeatedly in trouble for minor infractions like blowing bubbles in milk, having mud fights, and spitting on other students. The principal threatens him with physical punishment but the singer is undeterred. He pulls the fire alarm as a prank and causes a disruption that prompts the evacuation of the building, earning him expulsion. The bridge of the song introduces a moment of introspection as the singer asks whether his behavior is due to genetics or some kind of cosmic punishment for his mother's youthful sins. He reflects on his trajectory through school where he is notorious among the teachers and fellow students alike for his rebellious spirit, calling attention to his short-lived tenure as class president which ends in impeachment for flashing a peace sign during a yearbook photo. The song concludes with the realization that the singer is forever marked as an outsider, “Kicked Out” from institutions of socialization and conformity, unable to fully embrace mainstream ideals of morality and propriety.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside of Vons
Gabrielle and I were standing outside of Vons grocery store
Gabrielle and I crouched behind her dad's Plymouth Duster
Gabrielle and I were hiding behind her dad's car
sharing Ding Dongs
We were eating Ding Dongs together
with chocolate smeared on both our chins and noses
We had chocolate all over our faces
Her Dad wore a frown as he
Gabrielle's dad looked unhappy as he
dragged me in to say sorry to the manager who made me walk
He pulled me into the store to apologize to the manager who had caused me to walk
around in shiny handcuffs
I had been wearing shiny handcuffs as I walked around
He grabbed the microphone announced my story
Her dad grabbed the microphone and told everyone my story
No longer drawing on the wall or pooping in the trash can
I had stopped drawing on the wall and pooping in the trash can
A three-year-old red-handed thief and anyone could guess
It was obvious to everyone that I was a three-year-old thief who had been caught in the act
Someday I'd get Kicked Out Kicked Out of Kindergarten Kicked Out
It was predicted that I would eventually be kicked out of kindergarten
I started school
I began attending school
saw the principal for crimes like blowing bubbles in milk or
I got in trouble with the principal for things like blowing bubbles in my milk or
having mud fights or spitting on blonde braided Karen Edwards
having mud fights or spitting on a girl named Karen Edwards who had blonde braids
"Next time you'll get swats," he growled I'd be good for a week.
The principal warned me that next time I would be punished with swats, but it motivated me to behave for a week
Until one day, the red... plastic box said "pull" I had to pull it
One day I saw a red plastic box with a pull lever and couldn't resist pulling it
The ringing bells poured kids out every building
The school bells rang and all the kids poured out of the buildings
The office lady cried out "There's a family that's burning
The office lady shouted that there was a family burning
While all the fire trucks race here to douse your false alarm."
The fire trucks rushed to the school to respond to the false alarm
That day I was Kicked Out...
That day I was kicked out of school
Is it my genes? Or some faulty wiring in my head?
I wonder if my behavior is caused by my genes or some kind of mental issue
Maybe mom skipped church one week when she was sixteen
I jokingly blame my mom for my behavior, saying that maybe it's because she missed church one week when she was sixteen
and I'm her punishment.
I am the punishment for her missing church
All through my schools
Throughout all of my years in school
Every teacher knew my name on the first day of class
Every teacher always knew my name from the very beginning of the school year
I learned the paddle hung on the office wall was not symbolic
I learned that the paddle hung on the wall in the school office was not just a symbol and was actually used for punishment
At ten voted president but then impeached for a peace
When I was ten, I was voted class president, but then impeached for flashing a peace sign
sign I flashed in the 6th grade panoramic student photo
I had flashed a peace sign in my 6th grade class photo, which caused my impeachment
I got 3 days to contemplate my outlook
I had three days to think about what had happened and what it meant for my future
My Mom told me repent and read The Miracle of Forgiveness
My mom advised me to repent and read a book called 'The Miracle of Forgiveness'
But how could I start fresh and join upright society?
I was unsure how to change my behavior and fit in with the rest of society
I knew I was Kicked Out...
I knew that I had been kicked out of school and that it was a pattern that would continue
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brawlsack
Amazing song. To me, it's about how reactionary our society is. How quick we are to call for blood and vigilante justice, and how quick we are to condemn it when people spill it. How our prison system just fails all around, designed to contain and condemn, and catch all the juveniles that slipped through the cracks and turn them into thugs without ever addressing the real root causes of the issues. Our world sucks.
kingtastic's server
@guiege Back off man. This is a practical joke not a social and political commentary about vigilante justice or something. Stop over analyzing my teachers beautiful work.
guiege
Back off man. This is a practical joke not a social and political commentary about vigilante justice or something. Stop over analyzing my teachers beautiful work.
guiege
And then the drummer went on to become a teacher and computer thief alike