I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Bobby's got a gun that he keeps beneath his pillow
Out on the street your chances are zero
Take a look around you (come on now)
It ain't too complicated
You're messin' with Murder Incorporated
Now you check over your shoulder everywhere that you go (oh yeah)
Walkin' down the street there's eyes in every shadow (oh yeah)
You better take a look around you (come on now)
That equipment you got's so outdated (come on now)
You can't compete with Murder Incorporated
Everywhere you look now, Murder Incorporated
So you keep a little secret down deep inside your dresser drawer
For dealing with the heat you're feelin' out on the killin' floor
No matter where you step you feel you're never out of danger
So the comfort that you keep's a gold-plated snub-nose thirty-two
I heard that you
You got a job downtown, man, that leaves your head cold (oh yeah)
Everywhere you look life ain't got no soul (oh yeah)
That apartment you live in feels like it's just a place to hide
When you're walkin' down the street you won't meet no one eye to eye
Now, the cops reported you as just another homicide
But I can tell that you were just frustrated
From living with Murder Incorporated
(Murder) Incorporated
Everywhere you look now, Murder Incorporated
Come on now, baby
Murder Incorporated
Everywhere you turn, it's Murder Incorporated
Come on now, darling
Out on the street your chances are zero
Take a look around you (come on now)
It ain't too complicated
You're messin' with Murder Incorporated
Now you check over your shoulder everywhere that you go (oh yeah)
Walkin' down the street there's eyes in every shadow (oh yeah)
You better take a look around you (come on now)
That equipment you got's so outdated (come on now)
You can't compete with Murder Incorporated
Everywhere you look now, Murder Incorporated
So you keep a little secret down deep inside your dresser drawer
For dealing with the heat you're feelin' out on the killin' floor
No matter where you step you feel you're never out of danger
So the comfort that you keep's a gold-plated snub-nose thirty-two
I heard that you
You got a job downtown, man, that leaves your head cold (oh yeah)
Everywhere you look life ain't got no soul (oh yeah)
That apartment you live in feels like it's just a place to hide
When you're walkin' down the street you won't meet no one eye to eye
Now, the cops reported you as just another homicide
But I can tell that you were just frustrated
From living with Murder Incorporated
(Murder) Incorporated
Everywhere you look now, Murder Incorporated
Come on now, baby
Murder Incorporated
Everywhere you turn, it's Murder Incorporated
Come on now, darling
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Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Guys, this song is in no way about gun control legislation or police states or anything like that. Murder Incorporated was the name for a contract killing organization started in the 1930's by Albert Anastasia. It was basically the enforcement arm for the New York Mafia. Bruce grew up in Jersey in the 60's and 70's. Back then and there, the Mafia was more in charge than the government. This song is about what it is like to live under the mob's heel, to run afoul of them, to run, get bumped off, and then have the police not prosecute the case to hard because they're under the Mafia's pay. Bruce never knew the high-level, glamorous side of crime you see in gangster movies, but he was a master at portraying the misery of living in fear of it.
I think you're right in your interpretation, but I think the lines "Now the cops reported you as just an another homicide / But I can tell that you were just frustrated / From living with Murder Incorporated" imply a suicide by someone who didn't want to live in fear, waiting for the mob to get to them.