C A R L E E M A U R I E R A N D

J E R E M Y C A L D W E L L

Robert's got a quick hand.

He'll look around the room, he

won't tell you his plan.

He's got a rolled cigarette hanging

out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid.

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

entered Columbine High School

on April 20, 1999. They carried

guns, bombs, and 99 explosives,

planning to start a massacre in

the school.

Yeah, he found a six shooter

gun in his dad's closet hidden

with a box of fun things.

I don't even know what but he's

coming for you, yeah, he's

The two showed much interest in

homemade explosives and gun

collections, though they kept their

plans secret from everyone.

Their motive remains unclear to

this day.

All the other kids with the

pumped up kicks you better run,

better run, outrun my gun.

In journals describing their plans

for the shootings, the pair

described their desire to cause

mass panic in an attack that

rivaled the Oklahoma City

Bombing of 1995.

All the other kids with the

pumped up kicks you better run,

better run faster than my bullet.

Together, the boys planned to

plant a bomb in the cafeteria and

then shoot any survivors that

attempted to flee the building.

All the other kids with the

pumped up kicks you better run,

better run, outrun my gun.

Furthermore, they planted

several car bombs that would kill

any emergency responders who

tried to stop them, though these

failed to detonate.

All the other kids with the

pumped up kicks you better run,

better run faster than my bullet.

In the end, the boys killed 12

students and 1 teacher and

injured 24 more. They were

hoping for a death count in the

thousands. After the shooting,

The Columbine Shooting inspired several other shootings across

the nation, as well as the modern gun control debate. Foster the

People wrote this song to add their opinion on the issue, hoping

to channel the perspective of a psychotic teenager propelled to

mass murder.

Jacob Fink, the bassist of Foster the People, wrote this song after

his cousin was involved in the Columbine shooting. He sat in the

library, where a majority of the students died, watching Eric and

Dylan commit massacre. Mark Foster, the lead singer, wanted to

bring attention to the issue of adolescent mental illness and the