Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a picture of distant, unsettling events that still carry a significant impact. The opening lines establish a sense of unease, with "lights going down on the other side of town" and a "mighty big sound" traveling thirty miles. This suggests a powerful, perhaps destructive, force at play, referred to as "boom goes there in the Salvador," implying a specific, potentially violent, location or conflict. The repetition of "coming back later for a little more" hints at a cyclical or escalating threat.
The second verse introduces a surreal, almost nonsensical imagery of "fish bow jumping" into "mixture of the paraffin," which feels like a bizarre, unnatural reaction to something. The "back checker on my case" and the advice to "dip your time and place again" suggest external pressure or a warning to stay put or avoid involvement. The recurring phrase "Consider the source" acts as a refrain, urging caution and critical evaluation of the information or events being presented.
The final verse escalates the surrealism with a "tiger in a drugstore" asking about a "spot underneath a merry little bed." This bizarre scene, coupled with the question about where a "sport's again," seems to represent a distorted or confused perception of reality, perhaps a consequence of the unsettling events alluded to earlier. The repeated call to "Consider the source" becomes more urgent here, implying that the narrator is questioning the very nature of what they are experiencing and where these strange perceptions originate.
Ultimately, the lyrics create a disorienting atmosphere where distant, impactful events bleed into a personal, surreal experience. The repeated command to "Consider the source" serves as a central motif, advising the listener to be critical of information and to question the origins of perceived reality, especially when faced with unsettling or nonsensical phenomena.