Interpretations:Sketchy Galore

When I listened to it this morning, I thought maybe the song was about a mouse living in the same building as the singer. What do people say when they see a mouse? EEK! (E is for...) Also, he's sneaking around with no lights on, doing his "job" in the floor below the singer's floor. (I'm thinking that means either a basement or crawlspace or something...) --bryn\

This song is about extreme addiction. It is about searching the carpet for crumbs of some kind of drug when one is out of his drug of choice. It all makes sense. He walks around with no lights on because he is hiding his habit. He is scratching his head with the flashlight because it is so close to his face. This is so because he is on his hands and knees looking for the crumbs, carefully examinating every bit of his carpet for stray heroin, cocain, or even marijuana. He does this because he is very addicted, going through withdrawls, and is therefore described as "sketchy", fevers, chills, aches, deliria. As for the job part, it refrences the common term "crack whore". Also, notice that Sketchy Galore steals, obviously to pawn it off, sell it to buy more drugs. This is another classic sign of addiction.--tehbagel 05:27, 16 Apr 2006 (CDT)

The most I can make out of this song is that it's about living in the same apartment building as a thief. -Ryan

I didn't know if the guy was a thief, but I took it to just be about Flansy's neighbor, who is a really creepy guy. Hanging out in the hallway, for no apparent reason, just acting strange. Senor Cardgage comes to mind... --Duke33 07:32, 1 Jun 2006 (CDT)0

I think the song could indeed be about a thief, but specifically the one who does the grunt work for others. The others make their plan and send Sketchy to execute it; then all they have to do is wait for him to return with the goods. "Payin' for Sketchy" could refer to buying the equipment he'll need to complete his task, or it could mean that they're aware that they'll suffer as well if he screws up. "Two cheers for Sketchy" could mean that they act grateful for his successes, but they know that he's expendable so they don't really respect or appreciate him, hence two cheers instead of the usual three. If he gets caught, he might rat on them and they all will get arrested("get lifted with Sketchy") and naturally no one would like him after that. -Guest

I think it's more about a weird guy the narrator sees around his apartment who no-one knows much about, but everyone knows of. Sketchy has some odd habits (like searching the apartment building at night) which aren't obviously harmful but kind of suspicous and inconvenient. No-one wants to scratch the surface and find out who he is and what he's doing, partially because they fear what they may find, but mostly because they don't really want to get involved with him.

A random thought I had while listening to this song, though I may not be the first: "And he looks down, down, down, down" may not be referring to the act of looking down as in looking at what's near your feet, but looking down as in appearing to be "down" (sad) to the narrator. Sort of a double meaning. -visitor

This is rather far-fetched, but I think the line "He looks down down down" at the beginning and end of the song are bookends of the same event: Sketchy Galore feeling regret for his actions and looking down off of a high place before ultimately taking his life to escape his conscience. - Guest

This song makes me think Sketchy Galore is a thief, a cat burglar. His name itself is 'Sketchy,' much like shady, seedy, etc. No one is quite sure of the nobility of his character. Galore could refer to his skills, or all the items he's stolen.

The lines "Payin' for Sketchy, Mr. Sketchy Galore" and "no one likes Sketchy, Mr. Sketchy Galore" make me think of how people suffer when they have things stolen from them. They pay for his crime, and hate him for it.

"Take it from Sketchy, Two cheers for Sketchy, Stolen by Sketchy"

The narrator profits from Sketchy, though, as an accomplice or someone who buys stolen goods from him. (That may also tie into the line "paying for Sketchy," as some kind of double-narrative or double-meaning.)

"Sketchy Galore is scratching his head with a flashlight, And looks around the hall like he lost a dollar bill, Or he found a dollar bill before"

Maybe Sketchy's burglary skills are suffering now that he is under pressure to deliver the goods to others. Stealing used to be a hobby, or for himself. Now he needs a flashlight when he steals things from other apartments.

"Sketchy Galore walks 'round at night with no lights on, If he ever had a job, it must have been a job, For a guy like Sketchy Galore"

He is used to a job forcing him to walk around in darkness, and he is used to doing so at home. But now he only does so when at home. He isn't on a job for someone else, and so he doesn't feel pressure and anxiety. His old thieving skills are instinctual, and come to the surface when he is relaxed.

Just one of my many theories about this song. --Jane Strummer

I often wonder if Sketchy is the super in an apartment complex. I can't put all of the pieces together (can anyone for Flans' songs?) but I think the flashlight and the shriek on seeing a mouse indicate that he's digging around in the basement looking to fix a problem with the building they share. --Nehushtan 21:09, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

"The Floor Below My Floor" and "He" vs. "I"

"Sketchy Galore lives on the floor below my floor"

This line may refer to feeling down or depressed. He is not me, he is below me, feeling down and desperate.

Also I believe that the "he" in this song really means "I" as though the subject of the song were trying to distance himself from sketchy galore's transgressions.