Harden the Paint by Foster the People Song Info
The message of “Harden the Paint” is clear; Mark is saying that, much like wet paint before it dries, things are uncertain until they happen—wet paint can drip, smear, et cetera, before solidifying into a final product (the past). The lover in question is a “beautiful design.” He’s saying to his love to harden the paint, to commit. The song-title becomes more significant during the outro as well as the harmonious background vocals; he is content with not trying to pretend to control destiny (“Face your fate you pretty faker”), meaning he is sure they will end up together, and he hopes that she will accept that and commit to him—quit fooling herself. The title “Harden the Paint” has the homophonous interpretation as “Hard in the Paint.” To “go hard in the paint” is a phrase originating from basketball, where a player aggressively dribbles their way towards the hoop, requiring them to offensively cross the painted threshold under the hoop. Outside of basketball, the phrase means to aggressively strive and follow-through with a task. Since this song revolves around the want for a lover to commit, this pun was intentional. Mark Foster wants his lover to commit to him.
