Sketchy Metal
The Hold Steady Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

She only pays attention to the prices of cigarettes
She says she hopes they'll get cheaper
She only takes the pick-me-uppers
To counteract all the put-me-to-sleepers

She used to be a receiver
Went out deep for guys that looked like Johnny Fever
Last winter
I swear I thought she might be our savior

Went through a skater phase
Went through a raver phase
I went through a razor blade phase
I guess I went through a hundred dollars a day

It was dark along the edges of the city
But the light it shined through behind the reinforced doorways
They're tipping over in the taprooms
They're shooting through the ceiling and they're bleeding on the floor

And yeah, for sure we got dosed
We hung out close with some questionable folks
We got ideas from some dangerous thinkers
We put our mouths up to some dangerous drinks

Some nights we almost froze
But we rubbed up pretty close to some rock and roll promoters
Stayed up pretty late with some rock and roll performers
It's always entertaining when you're hanging out with entertainers

Went through the publicist
To try to get through to the rhythm guitarist
We got so high that the audience, they looked just like ants
Woke up with a backstage pass in my pants

Said "I used to be a speed shooter
I went out deep for guys that looked like Alice Cooper
And last winter
They had my heart all hooked up to computers"

We didn't see the holy ghost
But the father and the son they seemed like regular folks
Jesus rolled his eyes when his dad made Jesus jokes

And he forgave me for my sins
And he said, "Let the famine end and let the 2-for-1s begin
And bless the beasts and the children and the water and the waiters"
It's always so creative when you're hangin' out with our Creator
And his son, our savior
You get your picture in the paper if he lets you in his trailer




It's always so amazing
When you're finally coming down with entertainers

Overall Meaning

The Hold Steady's song Sketchy Metal is a narrative of a wild night with a group of friends immersed in the rock and roll scene. The first verse describes a woman who only pays attention to the prices of cigarettes and takes pick-me-uppers to counteract sleep aids. She is a former receiver who went out deep for guys that looked like Johnny Fever, a character from the television series WKRP in Cincinnati. The singer believes she could have been their savior one winter.


The second verse recalls the singer's different phases. He recounts going through a skater phase, raver phase, and razor blade phase. He admits to spending almost up to $100 a day. The atmosphere was dark, but the light shone through behind the reinforced doorways. The taprooms were overflowing, and shots were fired.


The third verse talks about past experiences getting high and gaining ideas from dangerous thinkers. The group got close to some rock and roll promoters and performers, and it was always entertaining to hang out with them. The group also tried to get in touch with the rhythm guitarist through a publicist. They got so high that they mistook the audience for ants, and the singer woke up with a backstage pass in his pants. One woman used to be a speed shooter and went out for guys that looked like Alice Cooper, a rock legend. One winter, they had the singer's heart hooked up to computers.


The song ends by referring to religious figures. The group did not see the Holy Ghost, but the father and son seemed like regular folks. Jesus rolled his eyes when his father made jokes. The group was forgiven for their sins, and the famine in their lives was supposed to end. They blessed the beasts, children, water, and waiters. The singer felt that hanging out with creators and the son our savior was always amazing. If you were allowed into his trailer, your picture would be in the paper.


Line by Line Meaning

She only pays attention to the prices of cigarettes. She says she hopes they get cheaper.
She doesn't care about much else, just cigarettes. She can't afford the things she needs or wants, and she hopes cigarettes will become more affordable.


She only takes the pick me uppers to counteract all the put me to sleepers.
She takes drugs to escape her exhaustion but takes other drugs to stay alert because she can't handle the downers.


She used to be a receiver. She went out deep for guys that looked like Johnny Fever.
She used to have sex with guys who dressed like TV characters because they offered her drugs and money.


Last winter I swear I thought she might be our savior.
At one point, the singer thought that this girl might save them all, but it turned out to be false hope.


Went through a skater phase. went through a raver phase. Went through a razor blade phase. I guess I went through a hundred dollars a day.
The singer had gone through different phases like skating, raving and self-harm, spending hundreds each day on these habits.


It was dark along the edges of the city but the light shined through behind the reinforced doorways.
The city is decaying and scary, but there is still hope and light behind the few places that are protected from harm.


They're tipping over in the taprooms. They're shooting through the ceiling and bleeding on the floor for sure.
People are getting drunk and high to the point of falling over, and violence is happening as a result, with blood being shed for sure.


We got dosed. we hung out pretty close with some questionable folks. We got ideas from some dangerous thinkers. We put our mouths up to some dangerous drinks. Some nights we almost froze. But we rubbed up pretty close to some rock and roll promoters. Stayed up pretty late with some rock and roll performers. It's always entertaining when you're hanging out with entertainers.
The singer and his friends did drugs, hung out with shady people who gave them bad ideas and dangerous drinks, and even faced near-death experiences. But they also got close to the music industry and found it exciting.


Went through the publicist. to try to get through to the rhythm guitarist. We got so high the audience looked just like ants. Woke up with the backstage pass in my pants.
The singer tried to contact the band's guitarist through their publicist, but it didn't work. The band played a show while the singer was high, and the audience appeared tiny. He wakes up with a backstage pass, a sign of his successful but hazy night.


She said I used to be a speed shooter. Went out deep for guys that looked like Alice Cooper. Last winter they had my heart all hooked up to computers.
The girl reveals she used to inject speed and have sex with men who looked like Alice Cooper. Last winter, she was in the hospital with heart problems, hooked up to machines.


We didn't see the Holy Ghost. But the Father and the Son they seemed like regular folks. Jesus rolled his eyes when his dad made Jesus jokes. He forgave me for my sins. He said let this famine end and let the two for one's begin. Bless the beasts and the children and the water and the waiters. It's always so creative when you hang around with our creator and his Son our Savior. You get your picture in the paper if he lets you in his trailer. It's always so amazing when you're finally coming down with entertainers.
The singer sees the Father and Son but not the Holy Ghost. Jesus is unimpressed with his dad's jokes. Jesus forgives the singer and wants things to get better. The singer reveres Jesus and God/creator and feels special when they are around. He feels grateful for simple things like animals, children, water, and waiters. There's excitement when hanging out with these inspiring and mythical figures.




Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Craig Finn, Tad Jason Kubler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

AlleyCatChum

too good.

math matic

WENT THRU A SKATER PHASE...WENT THRU A RAVER PHASE... WENT THRU A RAZOR BLADE PHASE...I GUESS I MUST OF WENT THRU A HUNDRED DOLLARS A DAY.......
I DARE YOU TO WRITE A COOLER LYRIC...............

Austin Hofer

great Fcking song

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