What does this mean?
Hello everyone, I was listening to The Cure's Jumping Someone else's Train, and I don't know what "pick up" means in the context: "if you pick up really quick you could say you were there". I know "pick up" for like "picking somebody up after work" or "going to a bar to pick up girls" but I really don't know what the sentence means in the song.

Thanks in advance.

Question

What does this mean?
Hello everyone, I was listening to The Cure's Jumping Someone else's Train, and I don't know what "pick up" means in the context: "if you pick up really quick you could say you were there". I know "pick up" for like "picking somebody up after work" or "going to a bar to pick up girls" but I really don't know what the sentence means in the song.

Thanks in advance.

Answer

In this context, it means 'to learn from experience or surroundings'. For example, when you were a child, you couldn't speak, right? Therefore, you 'picked up' the language you speak natively now.

Answer

You have the lyrics wrong. It's, "if you pick up on it quick."

To "pick up on" something means to understand it or its meaning.

You're doing a good job *picking up on* English.
I'm picking up what you're putting down. (an expression that means "I understand what you're saying)

Answer

Hey buddy! Yeah, it´s been a while, eh? It´s alright, it means like "learning" or "understanding". We´ll catch each other ´round soon enough. Have a good one!

Answer

Hey, long time no talk. Sorry, I don't know what it means in the context of the sentence! Talk to you soon, hopefully.

Answer

I'm a native English speaker and I don't know what that is supposed to mean. It could mean "leave", like if you leave and go wherever they are talking about you could say you were there.