After working with his early bands The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) he began his recording career with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when the band broke onto the national music scene with their 1976 self-titled debut album. Still, it took America a full year to catch up to the album. "Breakdown" was re-released to radio and became a Top 40 hit in 1977 after word filtered back the band was creating a firestorm in England.
He was also a member of The Traveling Wilburys, along with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. Petty and the Heartbreakers also toured as a backing band for Bob Dylan.
Petty is a vocal critic of the modern recording industry, including the disintegration of independent radio stations.
Petty has been supported by his band, The Heartbreakers, for the majority of his career. He has occasionally released solo work, as is the case with his 2006 effort, Highway Companion, on which he performed most of the backing instrumentation himself. Examples of other solo albums include Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers
Petty died on 2 October 2017 following a cardiac episode earlier that day at his home in Malibu, California. Although some media outlets incorrectly reported his death following an erroneous police report, his death was confirmed later that day by his publicist and manager.
Zombie Zoo
Tom Petty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With white lipstick and one thing on their minds
Hey little freak with the lunch pail purse
Underneath the paint you're just a little girl
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo
Painted in a corner and all you wanna do
Cute little dropout, how come you pack a rod
Is your mother in a clinic? Has your father got no job?
Sometimes you're so impulsive, you shaved off all your hair
You look like Boris Karloff and you don't even care
You're dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo
Painted in a corner and all you wanna do
Is dance down at the Zombie Zoo
She disappears at sunrise,
I wonder where she goes until the night
Comes fallin' down again
You show up with your friends, half-alive
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo
Well, you can make a big impression or go through life unseen
You might wind up restricted and over seventeen
It's so hard to be careful, so easy to be led
Somewhere beyond the pavement
You'll find the living dead.
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo
Painted in a corner and all she wants to do
Is dance down at the Zombie Zoo
She disappears at sunrise,
I don't know where she goes until the night
Comes fallin' down again
She shows up with her friends, half-alive
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo
Painted in a corner and all you wanna do
Is dance down at the Zombie Zoo
Yeah dance down at the Zombie Zoo
Yeah get down at the Zombie Zoo
The lyrics to Tom Petty's song Zombie Zoo depict a world of conformity and pressure, where people are all the same and don't have the freedom to express themselves. The "Zombie Zoo" is a metaphor for society, where people are painted into a corner and forced to conform. The people in the song are standing in line with white lipstick, indicating that they are all the same and are trying to fit in with society's expectations. The little freak with the lunch pail purse is someone who tries to be unique, but even they can't escape the pressures of society. The line "underneath the paint you're just a little girl" speaks to the idea that everyone is just human underneath their exterior image.
The chorus "Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo" is a call to escape from the mundane and predictable life that society demands. The verses tell the story of a girl who is trying to be different, but gets labeled as a dropout and is forced to deal with the consequences of not fitting in. She disappears at sunrise, leaving behind the constraints of society, but returns at night with her half-alive friends. The last verse is a reminder that it's hard to be different and stay true to oneself, and that sometimes people get restricted by society's norms.
Line by Line Meaning
All down the street they're standin' in line
There are many people in a line on the street
With white lipstick and one thing on their minds
The people in line are wearing white lipstick and have one thing on their mind
Hey little freak with the lunch pail purse
Addressing a young strange girl with an unconventional purse
Underneath the paint you're just a little girl
Despite the girl's unconventional appearance, she is still just a young girl
Cute little dropout, how come you pack a rod
Asking why the cute dropout girl is carrying a gun
Is your mother in a clinic? Has your father got no job?
Asking about the girl's family and why she may have ended up in her current situation
Sometimes you're so impulsive, you shaved off all your hair
The girl sometimes acts impulsively, like shaving off all her hair
You look like Boris Karloff and you don't even care
The girl's new appearance makes her look like Boris Karloff, but she does not care
She disappears at sunrise,
The girl disappears as soon as the sun comes up
I wonder where she goes until the night
Wondering where the girl goes during the day until nightfall
Comes fallin' down again
Night falls again
You show up with your friends, half-alive
The girl shows up with her friends, who all appear to be half-alive
Well, you can make a big impression or go through life unseen
People can choose to make an impression or live life unnoticed
You might wind up restricted and over seventeen
One might end up restricted and older than seventeen
It's so hard to be careful, so easy to be led
Being cautious is difficult, while following others is easier
Somewhere beyond the pavement
Beyond the city streets
You'll find the living dead.
There are people who appear to be alive but are not truly living
Painted in a corner and all she wants to do
The strange girl feels trapped and all she wants to do is dance at the 'Zombie Zoo'
Is dance down at the Zombie Zoo
The girl wants to dance at the 'Zombie Zoo'
Dancin' at the Zombie Zoo,
The girl is dancing at the 'Zombie Zoo'
Yeah dance down at the Zombie Zoo
Encouraging everyone to dance at the 'Zombie Zoo'
Yeah get down at the Zombie Zoo
Encouraging everyone to get down and dance at the 'Zombie Zoo'
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Thomas Earl Petty, Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind