🎵 Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks REACTION

[@rick5908]

In writing the song, Foster wanted to "get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid" and "bring awareness" to the issue of gun violence among youth, which he feels is an epidemic perpetuated by "lack of family, lack of love, and isolation."

[@chefg_murder1191]

Cuddos Rick... you get it.

[@sikksotoo]

As someone with a psychosis diagnosis, the character is actually more psychopathic. He's not driven by delusion and hallucinations.

[@shammycat3538]

@@sikksotoo he he said psychotic.

[@carlmarks8170]

This song would've been a good choice when Brad & Lex had their "one hit wonders" livestream

[@MyRetroLife]

@@carlmarks8170 "Sit Next To Me" was also a hit

[@zathmmo4346]

One of the happiest sounding but in reality darkest songs you'll ever hear.

[@jeffjones6221]

Fact

[@jasong.5165]

Yup. My kids used to jam to it whenever it would come on the radio. At 3 and 5 years old they didn’t have a clue obviously but still remember them jamming out to it all the time.

[@ThePIMPaboveallpimps]

Up there with I Don’t Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats

[@mmsmith03]

Please review Jeannie C Riley doing Harper Valley PTA

[@jackfraschieri6947]

This and Hollywood undead bullet are the happiest sounding horrible songs

[@LongandWeirdName]

It CaN't Be LiTeRaL. It is 100% literal. The juxtaposition of the upbeat music and the grim lyrics is what makes it brilliant. Written from the perspective of a psychotic teen outcast. The mind of a guy willing and ready to "fix things" and no longer be ignored by the popular ones. Eric and Dylan would probably be smiling and whistling along to the song, if they heard it.

[@24fretsoffury]

I hope you're not one of those Columbine Stans. If so, go touch grass. They were horribly selfish and self-destructive. What they did was inexcusable, just like all school shooters. Everyone gets picked on in school, just a fact of life. Having the proper support and outlets are needed, but the vast majority of kids do NOT shoot up a school.

[@lucaslabruyere6794]

@@24fretsoffury you really don’t understand the comment you’re replying to. I would suggest reading it again, and educating yourself

[@kevinprzy4539]

Yeah, it describes the kid as somebody that doesn’t really have his parents around as well, basically coming home from a school full of kids that don’t like him and doing nothing but sitting around and when his dad finally comes home he eats a tv dinner goes to sleep and restarts his day until he finally breaks one day.

[@jordanrayne4779]

@lAcid Rainl I thought like that a lot too. I think one of the only things that held me back was having friends. I'd have vivid fantasies of it and even share it. I only really started understanding how wrong those thoughts were after being out on antipsychotics. I'm thankful I wasn't alone at that age, because I don't know what I could have been capable of

[@marquisdelafayette1929]

Yeah some reactions I just can’t… it’s hit or miss. Ignoring and trivializing the lyrics and message is irritating at times.

[@Tijuanabill]

It's creepy how dark the lyrics are, but the tone is so happy.

[@steveporter9257]

You said it man

[@daviebananas1735]

It’s a happy song. Anyone who says otherwise has a twisted unAmerican world view. Only the taliban hate this song.

[@Tijuanabill]

@@daviebananas1735 Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

[@daviebananas1735]

@@Tijuanabill Cool

[@kentuckyjerk323]

I think it shows how a crazy people probably sees life. Hitler enjoyed life while millions were being slaughtered. Here in America, people watched lynchings for fun. Sad, but real talk.

[@OrangesodaTR]

it's actually a really dark song. The main character in the lyrics is a school shooter. The pleasant melodies and chord progressions are meant to lure you into the state of mind of that character.

[@Babyvirgobunny]

It’s such a happy chill sounding song but it’s about a lonely kid turned school shooter. The lyrics are meant literally. “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.”

[@chefg_murder1191]

Great catch...

[@MTbone7]

Yep song to be taken literally

[@rauwchocolatestarfish]

👁

[@daviebananas1735]

Nonsense. Every kid should have full access to guns. This is just a song celebrating cool sneakers. Anything else is socialist propaganda.

[@MTbone7]

@Azul_6.5 everyone thinks that but it has nothing to do with that per this interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3epZH-lfJuGitk

[@danrudnick5252]

The way I take it: The kids with the pumped up kicks were the cool kids, the preppy ones who picked on the subject of the song, and he's finally had enough of it. Has his dad's revolver and letting them know that he's not running from them anymore, it's them that need to run.

[@jonasturklbach2705]

yes. I believe that was the intent of the song too

[@beachamj]

Unfortunately, yes.

[@bigyodatheman]

Yup

[@Dhu82]

this song is about the colombine school shootings in 1999, "pumped up kicks" were a popular type of shoe back then.

[@jonasalden29201]

Oh snap. I was thinking of a psychotic school shooter. I feel way more comfortable with your idea!

[@jacqueline4514]

Oh yes, it’s literal. Always felt bad bopping to this song when the lyrics are about kids outrunning a bullet.

[@deezballs4203]

Actually the song is about gun reform google is free

[@jacqueline4514]

@@deezballs4203 I get it; the song was never meant to promote actual shooting, but the light boppy sound with the literal thoughts of the shooter overwhelm the anti gun violence message.

[@shammycat3538]

@@deezballs4203 Gun reform would yank guns from far more law abiding citizens than not. It’s always been an an issue easy for those virtue signalers to attack.

[@TheCabIe]

@@jacqueline4514 I'd say it's moreso mental health awareness message. When someone reaches the point where they feel like ruining their own life (you'll never get away with killing a bunch of people in public, you'll either get killed/have to kill yourself or spend the rest of your life in prison) and taking others with you is a legitimate option you should take, they are clearly not in the right state of mind. Isolation, potential bullying, depression and other issues may push someone towards the path where they feel like their only option is to lash out against society. It doesn't excuse these people for doing that they did, plenty of people have it bad in their youth and come out fine, but just condemning them and saying "they were crazy" isn't a solution either. I think just having a small glimpse into the mind of someone who is psychotic and their potential thoughts may make some people realize how important it is to be kind and empathetic towards others, you truly don't know what they're going through. An interesting TED talk I saw a while back was titled something like "How I almost became a school shooter".

[@jacqueline4514]

@@TheCabIe Great explanation!

[@DucklingChaos]

I heard this song was written about the Columbine School shooting, so I think Lex is pretty spot on if he's singing from the perspective of the shooters

[@joesmith8725]

The song about the school shootings. It was a big rage back then. Sad song with a good beat.

[@cometogether999]

I heard one of the band members (bassist Cubbie Fink) had a cousin that survived Columbine.

[@BestofItMoviedoc]

I love when Lex is certain of something and completely off-base. However, on this song she speaks to the heart of its conception. Mark Foster wrote it from the POV; a troubled and delusional youth with homicidal thoughts. How do you like them kicks?

[@AtomixIGN]

It's 100% literal. "All the cool kids are going to get shot for bullying and my home life is bad"

[@moonlitegram]

3:32 "but he's not a kid". Well no, but its not supposed to actually be Mark Foster (the guy singing this), speaking in the song. The song is written from the perspective of a high school kid (Robert, mentioned in the first verse) who is either thinking about a school shooting or possibly already committing one.

[@andyhewitt809]

The “pumped up kicks” refer to the Reebok pump’s that were in fashion back in the 90’s/ early 2000’s so yeah... it’s about a school shooting

[@marieneu264]

They were NOT in fashion in the early 2000’s lol. Reebok stopped making them in the early 90’s. How old are you?

[@christianc1249]

⁠@@marieneu264the shoes that were made can still be sold?

[@Vexy_Wexy]

This song was actually banned from some radio stations across the US and the world(circa 2010 - 11).

[@johnnyjohnson4041]

It was

[@michaelmccaffery8327]

Brad to Lex: “You think everything’s going to be rap!” 😂 Adorable 🥰

[@spacieneptune]

Hi Brad and Lex, Yes, a very literal interpretation of this song is what was intended. Very very dark subject matter, with a kick ass catchy chorus. Speaking of the dark subject of this track, ...there is another song by "the Boomtown Rats" called, "I don't like Mondays." Same sort of theme, relating back to a school shooting, presumably, on a Monday. A very popular song for the time, however most are unaware of it's origins.

[@Chical209]

Julia Garner from Ozark series is married to the lead singer Mark Foster who wrote the song. He explains it as an outcast who is wanting revenge.

[@BalbazaktheGreat]

I remember back in elementary school when pumped up kicks were all the rage. Was out on the playground at recess one day when there was this BANG sounded exactly like gunshot. Turns out some kid pumped his sneakers up so much that when he came down on them - he was playing basketball or something - they blew out. Everyone thought it was some kind of explosion. Edit: "I don't think its literal" - it's pretty literal. Cool kids are the ones with the pumped up kids - they're the one's he's looking to shoot.

[@dwood21851]

i heard them do an interview on the radio. they talked why they made the song so catchy and fun. they figured if it sounded slow and sad it wouldnt get radio play then no one would hear the message.

[@andythrush3341]

It is literal guys. Excellent song and an important commentary, too. It's a hard song to react to. Not bullies but assassins.

[@rafterman5072]

The 2000-2015 indie scene was really great. Maybe it’s just nostalgia though.

[@claudio1741]

2011-2015 real golden age

[@mariia099]

@@claudio1741 so true

[@richardgonzales4815]

The girl dancing on the video totally captures the way this song set My whole summer on FIRE!!!

[@jeffreekoch9298]

Its a catchy song and group.. Indie pop.. About 10 years ago used to be on the radio a lot. I was like cool! Then my kids told me what its about. Its a very sad song. 😔. They showed me their video. Shooting awareness song. But that group has some groovy songs. There are other ones just dont know the names, my kids listen to them. My kids would know 😆.

[@jeffreekoch9298]

​@@Lorcinajiok

[@ptcomp1196]

"Yea i guess...not" :) Anyway, the song is about a school shooter, getting revenge on the "cool kids" that belittle him. Pumped up Kicks refers to the pump basketball shoes that were the cool shoes to have and they were expensive...

[@bminturn]

I just caught the "better run, better run faster than my bullet" like last week, and this song has been on my playlist for a couple of years lol. As mentioned below, it seems to be about a "weird" kid who finds a gun and starts to imagine what he might do with it.

[@YouTubeWatcher9000]

That’s literally the chorus. I don’t understand how people can listen to songs over and over again and not know what they’re saying, especially when it’s not difficult to understand.

[@bminturn]

@@KZbinWatcher9000 I'm normally listening at work so not really listening, but the same thought occurred to me lol.

[@kenlangston3451]

Another 2000s pop song I think you both would enjoy is 1985 by Bowling for Soup. It is so fun and catchy.

[@RandomFandomDragon]

Love Bowling for Soup!

[@Scott_Forsell]

Plus did the music for Phineas and Ferb, too.

[@NiteDriv3r]

SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT

[@anniesthesia]

This song is from the perspective of the Columbine school shooters. The "rich" kids in the school bullied the kids incessantly which is why they went with the guns to shoot them. While it is a very pop happy music and tune with a catchy hook, this is a really freaking dark song.

[@Jackson-jd1um]

It’s not true those psychos were bullied, they were the bullies

[@glenobrien894]

Thank you for all those explaining what this song is about . far from What I thought when I kept hearing it 8 years ago . didn't even know who sang it untill last year . makes sense now

[@Zaefandel]

whats really messed up is a local high school near me actually plays this song on the pa between classes, its almost as if nobody bothered to see what it was about

[@Jeffreelz]

Pumped Up Kicks actually refers to Reebok Pumps. And yeah about gun violence as well. This song has a dark meaning.

[@timjb19621]

It's literal. It's about a kid finding his dad's gun in a closet and at least threatening the kids "with pumped up kicks"

[@cindiaker5778]

Such a catchy song.....happy sounding....yet, so dark. It was literal, and Brad just did not think they would sing of such dark happenings as school shootings. Just a reminder to pay attention and try and realize the kids who are on the edge mentally and going through stuff and need help before they end up snapping.

[@TigerHogan]

Almost kind of cute to watch them try to rationalize every explanation in his favor giving him the benefit of the doubt when he’s 100% just talking about a school shooting straight up lol

[@mogwiawolf4354]

Originally I thought that it was an outcast basically being better than the popular kids or something then years later found out the words and was like oh damn school shooter

[@sammurphy3343]

its literally about a teenager finding his dads gun and telling people to outrun his bullets before he kills them.

[@kimsoares3271]

Oh Brad, you sweet summer child…😂

[@flibber123]

I Don't Like Mondays by Boomtown Rats is a good companion piece to this song. It's kind of eye opening to think that this was so common even in 1979 that pop songs were being recorded about it.

[@MrPhooey442]

It was not common at all. We had all the same weapons for decades prior but this type of thing didn't become common until this century.

[@Dreyno]

@D G Unfortunately if you look up school shootings in the USA on Wikipedia, you’ll find it was actually fairly common. Often it was a single killing and often it wasn’t a student but there are also numerous multiple homicides. The difference is in the numbers of deaths in a single incident now tends to be higher and the coverage is now international rather than local news.

[@marshsundeen]

@@MrPhooey442 automatic weapons were not common until more recently. The Boomtown Rats wrote about an incident in a UK school. When asked why the kid did it, he said he didn't like Mondays. These incidents were pretty rare until the 1980's and 1990's. That is when the US term, going postal became a thing. According to History Extra, "Meaning to become uncontrollably angry, it originates in a series of events in the USA in the 1980s and 1990s. During those two decades well over 40 people were killed in incidents when workers for the United States Postal Service ran amok and shot guns randomly at fellow employees."

[@headingley72]

@@marshsundeen you are wrong on a couple of things number 1: it took place in San Diego. Number 2: the killer was not a he, She was called Brenda Ann Spencer she was 16 at the time, she killed the Principal and the Custodian, injured 8 kids and a cop at Cleveland Elementary School. She was phoned by a member of the press just after the shooting and asked why she committed this crime she replied “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day”.

[@marshsundeen]

@@headingley72 thank you.

[@daddyofisabel]

Yeah it's literal. I think you have a kid bullied at school (Pumped up kicks were expensive, so only the richies/preps would be wearing them), possibly beaten at home ("he's bringing me a surprise" after a long day, probably out boozing), and experiences a psychotic break (talking to his cigarette), before his final act. He's going after them.

[@NorthWoodsWes]

This song was on radio nonstop summer of 2011. Good jam

[@murmuratingmemories]

Always reminds me of Semi-Charmed Kind of Life be Third Eye Blind. Such a happy song... Until you actually listen to the words.

[@dillpicklz4486]

A member of the band's cousin is a Columbine survivor. After relaying his experience to him, The band wrote this song about it.

[@christianhansen3292]

I can relate. got bullied in middle school 4 not having pumps. Jordan's peak career.

[@eyespyyourspy1328]

Always took it as a kid who was tired of being bullied and let the kids who bullied know their BS was done.

[@Seanriver316]

Mark Foster (pride of Northeast Ohio) wrote this song after the Columbine shooting. It sucks that its still relevant today.

[@animeman84]

Columbine happened in 1999-this song came out in 2010

[@Seanriver316]

@@animeman84 1- I didnt say when it was released. 2-last time I checked, 2010 is after 1999.

[@Duke00x]

No one takes the song is literal until the quite kid starts signing it.

[@webdrude]

there used to be literal "pump up" high-tops - i think the first were reebox. you'd lace them first, then pump to make them fit tighter. they're using it more generally, though - to address the more affluent kids who flex their wealth, triggering his frustration about his own life.

[@briansredd]

Totally not my normal style of music I dig, but this track is a guilty pleasure of mine

[@acen2709]

The Columbine School Shooting and awareness to school shootings is what the songs about. Air Pumped basketball sneakers were popular at the time.

[@BestofItMoviedoc]

My editor back in 2011, played this while color grading on deadline for 72 hours. It had to have played 60 of those hours. To his credit he did work in the house and Weethan remix to keep us awake.

[@LoDoFilmUnlimitedMedia]

This song is true ART!

[@karthikkulkarni9458]

Foster the people - sit next to me

[@karengoodenough827]

I don’t like mondays by BoomTown Rats is probably the first song done about a school shooting, it was I believe the first school shooting in late ‘70’s, the shooter was a girl , which is pretty unusual

[@TheRedStateBlue]

there's a very deep rabbit hole of early 200s alt pop-rock. really good stuff from europe around then. Phoenix, Empire of the Sun, Ladyhawke, Santigold, MIA, the Two Door Cinema Club... really really good music.

[@alrivers2297]

Early 2 hundreds, now your going way way back

[@tonyzahn8911]

2 Door Cinema Club's debut album is just banger after banger with dead space.

[@Trev__rich]

i love how y’all got in an argument about shoes 😂

[@brosciencegutfeelings7058]

“Sit Next to Me” Foster the People!!!

[@adamdonovan4071]

I think the protagonist was bullied for not having the newest stuff by classmates…then his dad gave him his surprise, a gun…and the kid then went back at the kids who had bullied him. Your shoes are no match for my new toy…essentially.

[@adenauerlemos7926]

When I watched the video of the Columbine shooting reconstitution with this song it was scary how it combined. Very impactful.

[@RLucas3000]

Other very dark songs that sound happy or beautiful: 1) You’re Beautiful by James Blunt 2) Every Breath You Take by The Police 3) Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart 4) Luka by Suzanne Vega

[@adamdonovan4071]

Such an upbeat song for a tale about getting shot for your shoes.

[@brendanmiller9367]

The song is about an outcast (student) who is having thoughts of shooting up his peers (kids in the pumped up kicks)

[@centuryrox]

I work on a college campus, and I first heard this on the college radio station which is pumped through my building. It was cool at first, but then it was played non stop and it got old real quick. I believe this was in 2011.

[@hplovecraftscat2255]

>goes to school. >walks by the quiet kid listening to this song. >10 minutes later, hear “enemy UAV overhead”.

[@marsbar2566]

We (Gen X) had Jeremy by Pearl Jam and they have Pumped up Kicks. The poppy and happy feel is very reminiscent of 80s new wave songs that were singing about nuclear war, nuclear winter and the end of the world ( USA-USSR Cold War) that is catchy and sounds happy and danceable but the lyrics are quite dark. This a very good song.

[@winterjones425]

Back in the 90’s we had shoes we could pump up - I don’t know if you remember. That’s the shoes he’s talking about. All the other kids who have he doesn’t. Family, nice shoes, etc. It really is a happy sounding song. Then I point out the lyrics.

[@jasoncaldwell5627]

Surprise! It's exactly what you thought it couldn't be about.

[@-BlazeK-]

This is one of very few songs where the live version sounds way better than the recorded video version

[@RLucas3000]

I like the recorded version better. The live version does sound creepier though.

[@paw9213]

Y’all should do some Empire of the Sun and some Tame Impala stuff. They’re kinda similar to Foster the People in genre.

[@BraggartYaf]

Listening to the commentary on this one was so hard, like the song is about a school shooting. The "kids with the pumped up kicks" are children of privilege.

[@checkoutmyyoutubepage]

It depends on the person.

[@dakotafrazier2985]

"it's so chill" The lyrics: you better run better run, faster than my bullet 😂

[@p8triotmode]

Lex pretty much nailed it at the end. Good job Lex.

[@bobsgarage2016]

I think this song was made to make awareness to school shootings

[@themorbidsymphony]

Pumped up kicks don't equal thugs😂😂😂😂

[@drunkroku4054]

Even without the original video, she had it.

[@NewAgeRed]

I've looked at a few reaction videos for this song now. And I'm shocked at how many people don't understand it. I got it first time I heard it. Like wtf.

[@Jackie-eb2fr]

The song is literally talking about the school shootings, Robert is a lonely kid with an abusive father. It is about a school shooting which is terrible. It's a catchy tune with very sad lyrics. I think one of the band members has a cousin that survived a school shooting.

[@severedproxy]

Correct me if I'm wrong but this song was made because of the columbine school shooting, one of the band member's cousin was a survivor.

[@jasonlebeau1288]

This song is written from the prospective of a kid who is fed up at his wits end with being bullied by the type of kids who thought they were all that because they could afford reebok pumps (one of the most popular basketball shoe way back in the day) and decides to take it out on them with a gun.

[@BM-hb2mr]

The dude that does DUB to this song ng He does it to this song. Its epic. Freakn crazy

[@Cameron_44]

when i was i little kid i used to dance to this song in public not knowing what it was about

[@JBGOONERLIFE]

This tune a guilty pleasure. Houdini a great track too. God bless you all

[@CaddyJim]

Everybody jamming to this happy sounding song doesn't listen to the dark lyrics

[@007NTG]

I remember hearing this for the time on AOTS when they debuted it before anyone else. I never realized at the time… how much this song was a predication to the current times

[@MrConstant23.]

Mark Foster explained the song's meaning to Spinner UK: "'Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer's mind, like Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood. I love to write about characters. That's my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes." Foster says he considered writing the song from the perspective of the victim, but felt that would be a cop out. He also points out that there is no actual violence in the song, as the threats are all the kid's internal monologue.

[@3DJapan]

Anyone remember pumping up their shoes? I never had them but I knew people that did.

[@JamoonXerxesSauber]

This song was huge when i was at Uni. Proper nostalgic feeling to it for me now. Songs like this are way more interesting than just being a pop song. The music has a chill up-beat vibe but the subject matter is pretty dark (I think some of the lyrics come from what the columbine shooters wrote down)

[@juanfernandes8415]

The song is pretty literal, it's about Robert planning a school shooting. That's why the kids need pumped up kicks, to run from Robert's bullets.

[@moonlitegram]

Idk if the lyric is supposed to be suggesting they need those kind of shoes to run. I think its more about signaling the type of kids he's talking about and thus outlining the story more. The kids with the "pumped up kicks" are probably the popular, and maybe rich, kids in his school that the singer sees as antagonists to himself.

[@krispurdy78]

I had always assumed it was about a school shooter but here's the meaning... Mark Foster explained the song's meaning to Spinner UK: "'Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer's mind, like Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood. I love to write about characters. That's my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes." Foster says he considered writing the song from the perspective of the victim, but felt that would be a cop out. He also points out that there is no actual violence in the song, as the threats are all the kid's internal monologue.

[@jrtilley]

Overthinking, over-analyzing seperates the body from the mind. Don't focus on disecting them so much and just take them in first.

[@russelljoslinjr4387]

Always thought it was strange. In my day no one would shoot up the school. Trucks had shotguns and rifles in them...

[@birthyday3114]

Y'all should see the cool version they did in concert in Mexico with a Mariachi band! Magical. Musicians On The Same Page!

[@lpita2431]

“Helena beat” or “don’t stop” The song is basically describing a school shooter. The pumped up kicks are the “cool kids”. It remind me of the song “Psycho killer”

[@HellBrYnger]

my gawd! set your sleep while listening to this! cmon!

[@CavemanSynthesizer]

Helena Beat, Houdini, and I Would Do Anything for You are also great songs off this album, they basically knocked the whole album out of the park.

[@afroize]

I was in high school when this banger came out even the teachers would play it, though they didn't know the lyrics probably lol

[@jonjankoski6497]

Lex is definitely on the right track and very insightful. Its a disturbing song about lonely kids that go to the extreme and shoot up their school and the "cool kids" with the "pumped up kicks"..... Yet set to an extremely chill, vibe-like song (as Lex would say) ----- great song

[@Tydo35]

this is the story of every school shooter ever

[@jailerofjustice]

The lyrics is talking about an old southern play that kids back in the day would play, one plays the sheriff one plays the hero etc and they would hide and run when they got spotted. It’s kind of like when you play water gun with super soaker back in the day and run around trying not to get wet or shot at.

[@gundamgunpla4685]

Its not about a specific shooter, its just about them singing from the mind of a psychotic kid. So generalized :)

[@Mac_Fleetwood]

Reebok Pumps were literally pumped up kicks. That's probably the literal inspiration of the hook and title, but it probably just symbolizes the cool kids wearing the expensive cool sneakers.