"Pumped Up Kicks" is a Problem

From the
moment I heard "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People I was disgusted. Here are the lyrics:


Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he wont 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, with the 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 be coming home late, and 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. Run,
Run. R-Run, Run, Run.
R-Run. R-Run, Run, Run. R-Run.
Run, 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.
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.

Read more: FOSTER THE PEOPLE - PUMPED UP KICKS LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/pumped-up-kicks-lyrics-foster-the-people.html#ixzz1m0k47g8D
Copied from MetroLyrics.com


Now, I listen to punk. I love The Misfits' "Last Caress." I understand that songs can still be offensive and be good. I love Pearl Jam's "Jeremy." But one of these songs is taken in a fun, dark horror movie kind of way and the other is social commentary in a depressing kind of way.

But seriously? A fun, poppy song about a school shooting? Am I the ONLY one who thinks this is a problem and that this song should never have received a Grammy nomination?

So, I turned to the good old Internet. Apparently I am not the only person disturbed by this song:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-03/entertainment/ct-ent-1004-foster-lyrics-20111004_1_school-shooting-pop-music-song

This article from the Chicago Tribune by Steve Johnson explains the problem so much more eloquently that I can. "Pumped Up Kicks" makes school shootings seem cool, even though the song's writer says that's not the intention. While I am not supporting censorship, I am saying that a song that makes school shootings seem fun and light-hearted should not be glorified with award nominations.

Granted, the song is a good song. That doesn't mean we should all blindly support it. Imagine how the parents of kids who have been killed in school shootings feel. Or the families of teachers who have died trying to protect kids in school shootings.

Here's another article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/click-track/post/be-specific-foster-the-peoples-mark-foster-talks-about-pumped-up-kicks-a-sunny-and-violent-new-hit/2011/06/22/AGjf48fH_blog.html

The interview discusses how Mark Foster is "saying something," like Pearl Jam was with "Jeremy." Um, excuse me? What exactly is he saying? Because I don't seem to see anything in the lyrics other than that kids in expensive shoes should be afraid of getting shot. Is there a point to these lyrics? A philosophical discussion on school shootings and their affect on the world? I think not.

And the fact that I could find barely anything on the Internet expressing mutual outrage disgusts me as well.