This has been rumored to be about a drug deal, but in an interview with New Musical Express, Frank Black said the song was about hobos traveling by train and dying in a big earthquake in California. He started writing it when he was about 15 and was inspired by small earthquakes experienced growing up in California.
With much more pop appeal than most Pixes efforts, this became their most popular song, getting lots of airplay on college radio stations. The Pixies never seemed too concerned about popularity, however, and didn't bother promoting the song as a hit single.
The Pixies included this song on their first demo when they set out to get a record deal. Once they were signed, Frank Black had no intention of recording the song, and didn't until their third album, Doolittle. "People have been telling us to record it ever since so we finally did," he said.
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