We Real Cool Stanza II

Line 3-4

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

• The guys stay out late and they're also a mean bunch of pool players who can shoot a ball "straight" into the pocket almost every time.
• The two words that begin these lines, "lurk" and "strike," make the boys sound like jungle cats or some other predator from a National Geographic nature series.
• You could interpret these words as having sexual overtones, as young guys might "lurk" in places where they might see pretty girls walking past.
• Their late-night habits could also suggest that they are involved in some shady business around town, although we should always be careful to not simply fall back on stereotypes of inner-city life when reading this poem.
• The fact that they hang out "late" means they probably don't have regular jobs.
• (Otherwise they would need to wake up early.)
• They clearly have spent a lot of time practicing pool to develop that "straight" shot.