far from any town or help
The storyteller fixes the gas stop deep in the desert, far from any town, and the repeated 'middle' stresses the isolation.
It was in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere,Waking Life · 2001 — Chapter 7 of 13 · 4'04" · B2
Gas Station Shooting Story, Explained: in the middle of nowhere
A man recounts what happened at the desert's last gas stop before Vegas: a shirtless man loading tires into a van, a knife, a shot, a body knocked between the pumps. "It was in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere," the storyteller says, and the talk turns into a toast to "a well-armed populace."
What happens
One man tells another what happened at the last gas stop before Vegas. He was asleep, heard a noise, walked out, and saw a shirtless man packing tires into a van. He shouted "Hey, you!"; the man turned with a knife. What follows is a shooting, a claim about tyranny, a drink, and a dare.
Listen for
fleeting emotionsin the middle of nowherebuilt like a brick shithousefanned the hammer
00:00 / 04:04Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
in the middle of nowhere
far from any town or help
The storyteller fixes the gas stop deep in the desert, far from any town, and the repeated 'middle' stresses the isolation.
Our car broke down in the middle of nowhere.
Also in this scene
- fleeting emotions
feelings that pass quickly
- built like a brick shithouse
vulgar: very heavily built
- fanned the hammer
worked the hammer rapid-fire
- I hear that
I agree / I get it
- I'll drink to that
I agree; let's toast to it
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 51 lines
travelling toward a place
but on the way to Vegas, so, you know,occasionally, now and then
every once in a while a car would pull in, get gas.a vehicle stops in
every once in a while a car would pull in, get gas.the final fuel stop before a place
It was the last gas stop before Vegas.the entire amount of space available
Office had the chair, had a cash register, and that was all the room there was in that office.contact clause: The 'there was' after 'room' is a contact clause with the relative pronoun left out: all the room that there was.
Office had the chair, had a cash register, and that was all the room there was in that office.what is happening
I'm rubbing the sand out of my eyes, trying to see what's going on,far off at the far end
and way down at the very end of the gas station...In fast speech, 'there's an' can run together; listen for one smooth group.
And I see there's an Econoline van down there.takes out a knife
he's built like a brick shithouse, pulls out a knife, it's 1 2 inches long,vulgar: a very sturdy build — Crude banter about someone's build; avoid in formal settings.
he's built like a brick shithouse, pulls out a knife, it's 1 2 inches long,begins charging toward me
and then starts running at me as fast as he can, going,at top speed
and then starts running at me as fast as he can, going,enters through the doorway
cocked the trigger, and just as I turned around, he was comin' through the door.Drop the g in comin' and slide straight into through.
cocked the trigger, and just as I turned around, he was comin' through the door.shoots one bullet
And I fired a round, and it hit him. Boom. Right in the chest.squarely in the chest
And I fired a round, and it hit him. Boom. Right in the chest.using drugs or stimulants
And he must've been on drugs, on speed or something, you know, because he stood up...modal perfect: Must have been marks a strong deduction about the past: the speaker is sure the man was on drugs.
And he must've been on drugs, on speed or something, you know, because he stood up...The 'v' in must've is barely there; keep the beat on 'been'.
And he must've been on drugs, on speed or something, you know, because he stood up...using amphetamines — Drug slang; use 'stimulants' in formal talk.
And he must've been on drugs, on speed or something, you know, because he stood up...more or less stunned
And I was pretty much in shock, so I just held the trigger back and fanned the hammer.from that time until now
And ever since then, I always carry this.the strongest protection from tyranny
A well-armed populace is the best defense against tyranny.for such a long stretch of time
And you know, I haven't fired this in such a long time, I don't even know if it’ll work.present perfect: The present perfect links a past gap to now: he has not fired the gun for a very long time.
And you know, I haven't fired this in such a long time, I don't even know if it’ll work.fire a gun
Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?In fast speech, don’t you can squeeze into one beat.
Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?Gas Station Shooting Story, explained
What's really going on
The anecdote follows a short exchange about a novel with "no story" — only "people, gestures, moments, bits of rapture, fleeting emotions" — and this is a test case: an incident with almost no plot, held together by detail, "every once in a while a car would pull in, get gas." The violence is played for comedy; the man is knocked "right up between the two pumps, ethyl and regular" and stands up again. Then the tale hardens into a creed — "A well-armed populace is the best defense against tyranny" — and "I'll drink to that" seals it. The last line, "Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?," turns the story into a dare aimed at the person listening.
Theme
PhilosophyA roadside shooting is retold as evidence for a claim about armed citizens and tyranny.
Dark humorThe man is knocked between the two pumps, gets up again, and the talk turns to a toast.
Listen for
- there's an — In fast speech, 'there's an' can run together; listen for one smooth group.
- comin' through — Drop the g in comin' and slide straight into through.
- must've been — The 'v' in must've is barely there; keep the beat on 'been'.
- don’t you — In fast speech, don’t you can squeeze into one beat.
every once in a while a car would pull in, get gas.Now and then a car would pull in and get gas — the only interruption at a station far from anywhere.
It was in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere,He sets the scene as pure isolation: desert in every direction, no town, no landmark — which is why any arriving car matters.
A well-armed populace is the best defense against tyranny.The anecdote is turned into a slogan: armed ordinary citizens, not an institution, are what stand between people and an abusive government.
I'll drink to that.A toast of agreement — the shortest way to say you back what was just said, glass in hand.
Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?A dare disguised as a question: instead of answering whether the old gun still works, the next line invites a test.
Questions about this scene
Why does he say it was the last gas stop before Vegas?
Because it explains why cars appear at all: the station is "on the way to Vegas," so "every once in a while a car would pull in, get gas."
What does the man loading the van look like?
Shirtless, sweating, and in the narrator's words "built like a brick shithouse." He pulls out a knife and runs at him.
What does he do when the man runs at him?
He goes back inside, reaches behind the cash register for the owner's .41 revolver, cocks it, and fires: "I fired a round, and it hit him."
Why is "I'll drink to that" said here?
It follows the claim that "a well-armed populace is the best defense against tyranny." The phrase is a toast of agreement, not a request for a specific drink.
Does he say the revolver still works?
He says he hasn't fired it "in such a long time" that he doesn't know "if it’ll work" — then the next line asks, "Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?"
Waking Life · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8make the best of itLucid Dreaming Tips and Tricks
Chapter 1on an even keelA Ride Full of Sea Metaphors
Chapter 2write ourselves offSpeaker Defends Existentialism
Chapter 3at the whim ofThe Evolution Lecture
Chapter 4collective memoryTwo People Discuss Reincarnation
Chapter 5charadeThe Free Will Lecture
Chapter 6two sides of the same coinMan Rants About Control
Watching · Chapter 7in the middle of nowhereGas Station Shooting Story
Chapter 8make the best of itLucid Dreaming Tips and Tricks
Chapter 9come out of the momentTwo People Debate What Film Captures
Chapter 10be an antStrangers Talk About Not Being Ants
Chapter 11beside the pointA Character in a Dream
Chapter 12coauthors ofBridge Monologue on Dreams
Chapter 13false awakeningsDreamer Describes False AwakeningsChapter 7 of 13 · about 19 min to go