12. Same Kooks
The Hold Steady Lyrics

They found me in a florist
I was discovered in a florist, probably in a disoriented state

I was fried and out of focus.
I was high and my senses were impaired

I was kicking it with chemists.
I was spending time with people who make and use drugs

The scratches on my back
The marks on my body

They formed into a choir
Seemingly insignificant marks on my body appeared to combine together to make a noticeable pattern

And belted out a chorus.
This pattern became more pronounced and a sound was produced

There were clicks and hisses.
There were sounds of something being manipulated or prepared

And complicated kisses.
Complicated interactions involving potentially romantic but also possibly strange physical contact

Gideon's got a pipe made from a Pringles can.
One person present named Gideon has made an improvised smoking device from a common household object

Hey hey Providence
Spoken to the city of Providence in Rhode Island

You gotta fall in love with whoever you can.
Advice to take love wherever you can find it

The sheets stain but the sins wash away.
There may be physical evidence of one's actions, but it can be cleansed away

Naked bodies in the Narraganset Bay.
There were exposed people at the Narragansett Bay

Same kooks don't shoot but they sure do sniff.
The group of people being referred to do not shoot drugs, but rather snort them.

Same kooks can't fly because their wings are clipped.
The same group of people are prone to failure and can't succeed much like a bird with clipped wings

Same kooks can't come but they sure do kiss
The same people don't seem to achieve sexual satisfaction, but do still kiss others

Making love to the girls with the wrapped up wrists.
The group is specifically attracted to girls or women with visible self-harm scars, but still pursue romantic relationships with them

The Lord takes away and the Lord delivers.
Things can be both gained and taken by a higher power

Washed it all off in the Mississippi river.
An indication that the singer made use of a river to wash clean

We slept it off in the matinees
The group slept during daylight movie showings

We rip it up like the razor blades.
The group has used razor blades to cut things - most likely drugs or possibly themselves

Now we just need something to celebrate.
An indication that something good has happened or needs to happen

I wanna open some bottles up. (I wanna open my body up).
An invitation to drink and alternatively perhaps an invitation to be open to experiences

I'm getting tired of all these Styrofoam coffee cups.
The group is becoming tired of mediocre experiences and wants a change

She said its hard to feel holy when you can't get clean
A specific female character is having trouble feeling pure or good, likely due to their inability to be free of something negative

Now she's bumping up against the washing machines
The same character is resorting to having physical contact with washing machines - this could be interpreted as sexual or intimate behavior or just having physical interactions with inanimate objects

She said its hard to slow down when you're picking up speed.
The same character is struggling to keep the pace and keep up with the speed of things happening around her

It was those two same kooks from that one stupid photo shoot.
An indication that the group has previously been photographed together, and identifies them as the same group of people