¡DOS!
Stop When The Red Lights Flash
Song Meaning
The message for this song in the ¡Dos! deluxe lyric book is: "Red light red light bang bang bang go! Drum roll please!"
Billie Joe: "This is the dirtiest song I've ever written."
Fan interpretation: "The 'red lights' are a warning to stop before you do something you shouldn't. In Oh Love he says 'don't stop when the red lights flash' so he's encouraging the subject of the song, someone he shouldn't be with, not to stop even though they know it's wrong. Then in Stop When the Red Lights Flash it's something they keep saying to themselves but clearly ignoring. It's like the last voice of reason before the chaos of ¡Dos!"
Fan interpretation (Hermione on GDC): "Red lights are associated with sex (eg red light district) and danger/passion etc in general."
Fan interpretation (Thatsername on GDC): "He sees the red lights flash and knows that he's going too far, that things are getting out of control, but he's not able to change it (yet). I think it's no coincidence that the phrase appears on each of the three albums, it's the central theme of the records."
Fan interpretation (solongfromthestars on GDC): "The 'is it about sex or school shootings' debate was one of my favourite GDC moments. Sadly can't find my original analysis, but that doesn't mean I won't analyse it again!
'Uncomfortable silence / I'll kill it if you want me to': Refers to the sexual tension that inspired so much of ¡Uno!. The tension-induced silence is uncomfortable because the relationship these two people could have is forbidden, and neither dares speak, but the narrator is finally offering to just give in and break it.
'I'm like ultra-violence / I'll kill it if you want me to': The narrator compares himself - and his determination to take things further - to 'ultra-violence,' a phrase coined in 'A Clockwork Orange' to describe extreme, senseless violence, because it will take feelings that extreme to make the first move.
'Out of sight, out of mind': This phrase means that people won't remember or even know about something if it's not obvious. In the context of the song, the narrator is saying that if no-one ever knows about their affair, it won't matter.
'I'm not the hurting kind': The narrator assures his lover that despite the strength of his feelings and the rough sex that will ensue if they give in, he doesn't actually intend to hurt her.
'I'll make you surrender': He is determined to make his lover give in to what they both want.
'Stop when the red lights flash': This phrase also appears in 'Oh Love' when the narrator says, 'don't stop when the red lights flash.' it's used as a metaphor for stopping because the relationship is forbidden or a bad idea. At this point, he's repeating it in a mocking way because he clearly doesn't intend to stop, or perhaps it's simply driving the point home about the nature of the relationship. It could also refer to a safe word.
'I'll trade you blood for dirty cash': Using the metaphor of literally selling blood for cash, the narrator promises his lover that he'll give her everything even if she only gives him a little. It's 'dirty' cash because it's naughty.
'Life in the catacombs': Catacombs can be hiding places, like this relationship is hidden 'out of sight, out of mind.' May also tie in to the 'hit the cemetery' line in 'Angel Blue,' since catacombs are tombs.
'You make me feel like I'm at home': In a moment of vulnerability in such a brash song, the narrator confesses that his lover makes him feel comfortable.
'Just give in one more time': Come on! We know at this point that he wants another shag!
Fan interpretation (Christian's Inferno! on GDC): "In Dirty Rotten Bastards we also have the lyric 'Dust to dust when the red light flashes.' So there's a song in each trilogy album that has the lyric in some form of the other. It really seems to be the only sort of conceptual lyric connecting the three albums."
Fan interpretation: "A maniacal character, maybe the narrator, is basically being given an opportunity to use his 'evil' skills, so to speak. This may mean that he's only having thoughts of taking out his anger on someone, or that he's been asked to do so on behalf of another person (like a hitman would). Lines like 'I'll kill it if you want me to' and 'I'll trade you blood for dirty cash' support this thought. The character even enjoys this type of crazy behavior, and feels 'at home.' And once the dirty deed is done, he says, the targeted person will be 'out of sight, out of mind.'"
Fan interpretation (LaughingClock on GDC): "It’s just on the back of American school buses but the song, I believe, is about people being blind to childhood violence (violence and probably especially shooting in schools), and even after Sandy Hook, nobody doing anything. The 'stop when the red lights flash' is a not so hidden message that 'our children are in danger.'"
Billie Joe: "This is the dirtiest song I've ever written."
Fan interpretation: "The 'red lights' are a warning to stop before you do something you shouldn't. In Oh Love he says 'don't stop when the red lights flash' so he's encouraging the subject of the song, someone he shouldn't be with, not to stop even though they know it's wrong. Then in Stop When the Red Lights Flash it's something they keep saying to themselves but clearly ignoring. It's like the last voice of reason before the chaos of ¡Dos!"
Fan interpretation (Hermione on GDC): "Red lights are associated with sex (eg red light district) and danger/passion etc in general."
Fan interpretation (Thatsername on GDC): "He sees the red lights flash and knows that he's going too far, that things are getting out of control, but he's not able to change it (yet). I think it's no coincidence that the phrase appears on each of the three albums, it's the central theme of the records."
Fan interpretation (solongfromthestars on GDC): "The 'is it about sex or school shootings' debate was one of my favourite GDC moments. Sadly can't find my original analysis, but that doesn't mean I won't analyse it again!
'Uncomfortable silence / I'll kill it if you want me to': Refers to the sexual tension that inspired so much of ¡Uno!. The tension-induced silence is uncomfortable because the relationship these two people could have is forbidden, and neither dares speak, but the narrator is finally offering to just give in and break it.
'I'm like ultra-violence / I'll kill it if you want me to': The narrator compares himself - and his determination to take things further - to 'ultra-violence,' a phrase coined in 'A Clockwork Orange' to describe extreme, senseless violence, because it will take feelings that extreme to make the first move.
'Out of sight, out of mind': This phrase means that people won't remember or even know about something if it's not obvious. In the context of the song, the narrator is saying that if no-one ever knows about their affair, it won't matter.
'I'm not the hurting kind': The narrator assures his lover that despite the strength of his feelings and the rough sex that will ensue if they give in, he doesn't actually intend to hurt her.
'I'll make you surrender': He is determined to make his lover give in to what they both want.
'Stop when the red lights flash': This phrase also appears in 'Oh Love' when the narrator says, 'don't stop when the red lights flash.' it's used as a metaphor for stopping because the relationship is forbidden or a bad idea. At this point, he's repeating it in a mocking way because he clearly doesn't intend to stop, or perhaps it's simply driving the point home about the nature of the relationship. It could also refer to a safe word.
'I'll trade you blood for dirty cash': Using the metaphor of literally selling blood for cash, the narrator promises his lover that he'll give her everything even if she only gives him a little. It's 'dirty' cash because it's naughty.
'Life in the catacombs': Catacombs can be hiding places, like this relationship is hidden 'out of sight, out of mind.' May also tie in to the 'hit the cemetery' line in 'Angel Blue,' since catacombs are tombs.
'You make me feel like I'm at home': In a moment of vulnerability in such a brash song, the narrator confesses that his lover makes him feel comfortable.
'Just give in one more time': Come on! We know at this point that he wants another shag!
Fan interpretation (Christian's Inferno! on GDC): "In Dirty Rotten Bastards we also have the lyric 'Dust to dust when the red light flashes.' So there's a song in each trilogy album that has the lyric in some form of the other. It really seems to be the only sort of conceptual lyric connecting the three albums."
Fan interpretation: "A maniacal character, maybe the narrator, is basically being given an opportunity to use his 'evil' skills, so to speak. This may mean that he's only having thoughts of taking out his anger on someone, or that he's been asked to do so on behalf of another person (like a hitman would). Lines like 'I'll kill it if you want me to' and 'I'll trade you blood for dirty cash' support this thought. The character even enjoys this type of crazy behavior, and feels 'at home.' And once the dirty deed is done, he says, the targeted person will be 'out of sight, out of mind.'"
Fan interpretation (LaughingClock on GDC): "It’s just on the back of American school buses but the song, I believe, is about people being blind to childhood violence (violence and probably especially shooting in schools), and even after Sandy Hook, nobody doing anything. The 'stop when the red lights flash' is a not so hidden message that 'our children are in danger.'"
Have your own interpretation of "Stop When The Red Lights Flash"? Leave a comment below.
Lyrics
Uncomfortable silence
I'll kill it if you want me to
I'm like ultraviolet
I'll kill it if you want me to
Out of sight, out of mind
I'm not the hurting kind
I'll make you surrender
Stop when the red lights flash
I'll trade you blood for dirty cash
Life in the catacombs
You make me feel like I'm at home
Out of sight, out of mind
Just give in one more time
I'll make you surrender
Out of sight, out of mind
Just give me one more time
I'll make you surrender
I'll kill it if you want me to
I'm like ultraviolet
I'll kill it if you want me to
Out of sight, out of mind
I'm not the hurting kind
I'll make you surrender
Stop when the red lights flash
I'll trade you blood for dirty cash
Life in the catacombs
You make me feel like I'm at home
Out of sight, out of mind
Just give in one more time
I'll make you surrender
Out of sight, out of mind
Just give me one more time
I'll make you surrender
Live History
Live History
- Total Plays
- 58 times / #93 most played
- Most Recent
- March 3, 2014 Perth, WA
- Earliest Known
- October 27, 2011 New York, NY
13 tracks
Comments
Song Comments