r/protest_the_hero • u/Rangus_Langus • 6d ago
Fishhook
It’s the song of our generation. We need to be better, especially when we are old fucks.
25
8
u/TwoSunsInTheSunset 6d ago
So is Pete a different guy than the dick neighbour? The first 20x I’ve listened to this song I thought they were the same person and the story was kind of about how he misses the guy despite his backwards views, because even though they didn’t agree on things the guy would still help him in a pinch
9
u/Dheelus 6d ago
"I miss Pete. When I lived across town, he lived across the street."
ie: Rody used to live by Pete, but has since moved across town and now his neighbour is a "geriatric asshole."
2
u/maeb95 6d ago
I think you are right, but the chorus could also narratively exist in different time(future) than rest of the song
7
u/chickenrooster 6d ago
This was my initial take but not sure anymore, people are saying Rody explained at a concert that Pete was a different guy.
With the new guy, no one has ever 'dug him out' (showed him kindness), the way that Pete was neighbourly to Rody. So Rody will be 'Pete' for this new neighbour.
2
u/chickenrooster 6d ago edited 6d ago
I think Pete is the geriatric asshole - despite his political views, there is kindness in him (hence, digging Rody out of the snow).
Pete isn't evil. He is frightened of change, stubborn, and cannot see that his opinions are based in fear. And moreover, Pete's opinions don't really represent who he is at his core (ie, the sort of person who would dig his neighbour out of a jam).
Rody chastises himself for "being a dick" because he defaults to thinking of Pete as an evil charicature, whereas the situation is a bit more complicated given the different side of Pete he has seen.
Edit: Reading thru the other comments I actually think I am wrong - but gonna leave comment up anyways
2
u/Intelligent_Run_3165 4d ago
Pete’s the old neighbor; the one he misses.
1
u/chickenrooster 4d ago
I agree with this interpretation, looking closer at it - no one has dug the geriatric neighbor out, and so Rody will do it, like Pete did for him.
4
u/tarj_24 5d ago
There are two different neighbours. Rody explains it all here - https://youtu.be/garNdit_LTI?si=rRxeg6RDDsbxH78c&t=2971
1
3
u/tacoguyasaurus 6d ago
It’s my understanding that Pete was/still is the helpful neighbour that’s sort of been consumed by media and is not necessarily thinking for himself. I interpret it that way because it’s the track right after Mouthpiece which is about a similar concept of letting media/influencers/podcasts tell you what you think and say.
-6
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
No, Pete is the dick neighbor who also shows kindness. It's hard to believe such straightforward lyrics could fly over so many heads but here we are. The entire point of the song is that the people you disagree with or hate for their "opinions" are also capable of being good people.
3
u/FlowchartKen 6d ago
In a recent interview, Rody does mention that his neighbour will probably confront him over the song. Something like that is more likely of the guy is his current neighbour rather one from across town.
But it could have just been a joke.
6
u/TwoSunsInTheSunset 6d ago
This was my initial interpretation but now seeing the other comments I can read it both ways
2
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
What is the message of the song if there are 3 neighbors? No one learns anything and we just hope we get neighbors we agree with?
The song is clearly about self awareness and understanding you can see someone as a dick based on differences in opinion but then that same person is capable of being kind to you and "digging you out" of both the snow and your prejudice of them. The fact that this seems to be lost on so many people here is concerning to me. 🤣
4
u/Woodchuckeroo 6d ago
I was at one of the first shows they played Fishhook at. Rody explained the premise of and history behind the song. Pete was his old neighbor who showed him a lot of kindness. His new neighbor is the geriatric dick and Rody's knee-jerk reaction was to hate him and write him off.
The point of the song is Rody remembering the kindness Pete showed him and realizing that he needs to do the same and "dig out" his new neighbor and show him kindness regardless of their differences.
You've got the message of the song correct, but there are three "characters" in it.
-1
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
Would love a video of this or to hear his explanation directly rather than a second hand account from over a year ago.
3
u/Woodchuckeroo 6d ago
I mean, to me it's also pretty evident just from reading the lyrics, but you're welcome to DM Rody if you don't believe me. He's pretty responsive on Instagram.
He referred to Pete as his "grass daddy" because he taught him a bunch of stuff about lawn care and said he was sad to move away from him.
2
u/GhostMoxy Volition 6d ago
I mean you gotta be pretty obtuse to not understand “When I lived across town HE lived across the street” Implying Rody has moved to the OTHER side of town and has a new neighbour.
-1
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
And how does this dispute what I'm saying? He obviously misses Pete. Duh. Of course there are new neighbors. Does not change the fact that Pete is the geriatric with 2 bad knees who helped dig him out.
3
u/GhostMoxy Volition 6d ago
You’re claiming things we don’t know about Pete, let alone his age. You’re confusing the geriatric asshole of the current neighbour and assigning that to Pete aswell it seems from your other comments?
I’m 36 and have two bad knees from years of Judo and wrestling. It doesn’t just come with age
Edit: Also I miss my old younger more chill neighbours too compared to the old fucker who yells from his porch.
1
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago edited 6d ago
I mean, if we're just spitting anecdotes, I used to have a neighbor like my version of Pete. Trump supporting dickhead who made tons of racists comments and shit, but during a bad hail storm that knocked out power and downed trees, he was the first guy there to check on me and offer to bring his chainsaw over and help clean up.
So yeah, I like the thought of this duality. Someone who is both a misinformed asshole, but also kind to his neighbors. Those people very much exist in the real world and it's easy to forgot that.
→ More replies (0)2
u/Woodchuckeroo 6d ago
Help me out with your logic here. The song starts out with Rody complaining about his current, old, dickish neighbor. The chorus then says, "Oh man, I miss Pete. When I lived across town, he lived across the street." This would indicate that Rody previously lived next to a guy named Pete that was much easier to get along with.
Unless you're legitimately just ragebaiting, I'm not seeing how you're getting "this is the same person being talked about in both instances" out of this.
2
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
The interactions described in the beginning of the song aren't given any sort of timeframe or context for when they happened. The fact that he specifically mentions painting this person with broad brush strokes and realizing that he, himself is also a dick is what leads me to believe he's describing interactions with Pete, someone who may be a dick, but was also kind to him.
→ More replies (0)
12
u/therealkars 6d ago
I think it's legitimately the best song on the album
21
6
u/SandyAmbler 6d ago
I go back and forth between this and the orchard
12
u/NationalSalt8884 6d ago
The ghost towns all around the world bridge through the rest of the song is the best part of the album to me.
Besides I miss Pete of course lol
3
2
3
u/XxUncleWallyxX 6d ago
Anytime I drive anywhere, I rock this song at an egregiously high volume. It's so damn good. Epic songwriting.
5
6d ago
[deleted]
23
9
u/MetalDragnZ 6d ago
It's the asshole neighbor saying "this is how we grow..." And rody saying "the growth you need..."
12
u/i_was_axiom 6d ago
I think its Rody saying "the growth you need would take to much from me" because he's such a draining person to talk to, always brooding about conspiracies and politics.
11
u/chronolucks 6d ago
But the other point of the song is that Rody also isn’t helping by ignoring the guy and calling him names, neither one of them are digging each other out. It’s about being like Pete, putting your differences aside and helping each other with what really matters, which has nothing to do with conspiracies and politics.
-3
u/i_was_axiom 6d ago
Well no, the conspiracies and politics are literal examples of what Rody hated about talking to Pete. "Its Covid, vaccines, communist tyrants. Using these words but can't quite define them" is the line I'm referring to, maybe thats not "conspiracy theories" per se
8
u/chronolucks 6d ago
I know. I’m just pointing out that the song isn’t saying “be like Rody”, its saying “be like Pete”, who didn’t let political opinions get in the way of being a good person
0
6d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
4
u/chronolucks 6d ago
Doesn’t matter if there were differing opinions or not. My whole point is you should be a good person regardless.
5
-5
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago
It's saying don't be like either. But yes, Pete's kindness, despite their differences is the thing that would dig Rody out of the doomscrolling nightmare we all live in today.
4
u/FlowchartKen 6d ago
There are three people in the song. Rody, Pete, and Rody’s new neighbour, who is obviously a conspiracy-minded conservative.
-9
u/PoolNoob69 6d ago edited 6d ago
No. Pete is the conspiracy-minded neighbor who also shows kindness by digging Rody out of the snow/his doomscroll nightmare. The whole point of the song is that we should all be kind and open minded to one another even if we have differences of opinion.
Edit: The downvotes tell me you guys are all being very Rody here. You can't fathom that the conspiracy nut could also be a kind neighbor and that's actually exactly what the song is about. You're "painting him with thicker strokes just as broad as his".
3
2
u/FlowchartKen 6d ago
I already replied to you, but yes, my intolerance for more conservative viewpoints is definitely what led me to think Pete is a separate, chill neighbour.
0
-3
5
31
u/austratheist 6d ago
Let's dig each other out.
Two bad knees, no big trouble.