The song is about both gun violence and the tortured mental state of many American teens in the 21st century.
The singer of Foster the People, Mark Foster, was working as a jingle writer in California when he composed the lyrics for “Pumped Up Kicks.” From jingles for Honey Bunches of Oats to an anthem writer on the topic of gun control was a huge step, but Foster thought thought it was important. “Pumped-up kicks” is a term for certain running shoes that were popular at the end of the 1980s. They were Reebok shoes that the wearer could actually pump up with air to get a better fit. They were expensive shoes at $170. One wonders how many pairs of these “pumped-up kicks” wound up changing hands at the point of a gun.
The Annoying Chorus
Foster himself finds it to be a “stupid chorus,” He says that had he known that the song would explode into the popularity it had, then he would have changed the lyrics to contain more than two verses and the repetitive chorus. Still, the message of the song is strong and unmistakable. Fortunately, the protagonist of the song, a teen named Robert, never actually fires the gun. He just waves it around and says, “Yeah, you’d better run.” The title of the song comes from the sneakers purportedly making the wearers able to run faster because of the customizable fit.
All Too Real
Band member Cubbie Fink has a personal connection to the song. His cousin was in the school’s library during the 1999 Columbine massacre. Fink says that she is as close to him as a sibling, so the message of the song resonates deeply within him. The band wants the message regarding the mental health of young people to score as many points as the message regarding gun control. Perhaps, if Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris had had access to proper mental healthcare, then that massacre might have been avoided. We’ll never know, obviously, but the song’s message is nevertheless an important one. In the song, the gun that Robert takes to brandish around belongs to his father and is presumably a legally obtained firearm. The same is true of the box of bullets.
Other Media
The song has appeared in crime dramas, such as “CSI: NY,” “Homeland,” and “The Murders.” Given the song’s reference to the topic of gun control, this is not surprising. It features in regular dramas, too, like “One Tree Hill,” comedies like “Cougar Town,” and even supernatural and science-fiction shows like “The Vampire Diaries” and “Warehouse 13.” As far as movies are concerned, it has featured in three soundtracks: “Friends With Benefits,” “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,” and the 2011 version of “Fright Night.”
Lyrics
Robert’s got a quick hand
He’ll look around the room, but won’t tell you his plan
He’s got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out his mouth, he’s a cowboy kid, yeah
He found a six-shooter gun
In his dad’s closet, and with a box of fun things
I don’t even know what
But he’s coming for you, yeah, he’s coming for you
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
Daddy works a long day
He’d be coming home late, yeah, he’s coming home late
And he’s bringing me a surprise
‘Cause dinner’s in the kitchen, and it’s packed in ice
I’ve waited for a long time
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
Then say, “Your hair’s on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah”
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
Run, run, run, run
R-r-r-run, run, run, run
R-r-r-run, run, run, run
R-r-r-run
Run, run
Run, run, run
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Mark Derek Foster
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