In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Now I don't disagree, it's a hell of a scene
Jackson Square dropouts avoiding the police
If the eighties were tough, the nineties were mean
All that was left for the desperate
Were these fast cash machines
And that easy money never helped anything
With that kind of juice
Man, it ain't worth the squeeze
But month by month I feel a change in the breeze
So start moving on make your own history
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
Some people can't shake the weight of the past
Some people's hearts remain at half-mast
It's downtown where it all intersects
Some came down from the mountains
College kids from the west
And not every suit lies right through their teeth
There's good and there's bad, and then there's some in between
As I wait for the bus coming from the east
There's generations of pride and elbow grease
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
I understand if it's all a bit much
It's a bit of a circus, it's a little bit rough
I heard this place was run by the mob
Buying everyone off down at city hall
And those Oakville moms, they stick up their nose
Those Burlington dads keep their daughters at home
If you're the kind with nothing to say
You heard about this party, but you're praying for rain (whoa)
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Jackson Square dropouts avoiding the police
If the eighties were tough, the nineties were mean
All that was left for the desperate
Were these fast cash machines
And that easy money never helped anything
With that kind of juice
Man, it ain't worth the squeeze
But month by month I feel a change in the breeze
So start moving on make your own history
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
Some people can't shake the weight of the past
Some people's hearts remain at half-mast
It's downtown where it all intersects
Some came down from the mountains
College kids from the west
And not every suit lies right through their teeth
There's good and there's bad, and then there's some in between
As I wait for the bus coming from the east
There's generations of pride and elbow grease
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
I understand if it's all a bit much
It's a bit of a circus, it's a little bit rough
I heard this place was run by the mob
Buying everyone off down at city hall
And those Oakville moms, they stick up their nose
Those Burlington dads keep their daughters at home
If you're the kind with nothing to say
You heard about this party, but you're praying for rain (whoa)
Now if you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Get outta town now
If you want me to boil it down
All you cynical bastards
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
Move a little faster
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Pure and simple, this is a song about the city in which the Arkells met: Hamilton, Ontario.
Jackson Square is the large downtown mall, housing the city's main library and farmer's market (as well as the title of their first album). "Fast cash machines" is about the prevalence of payday lenders around the mall and how they prey on the vulnerable in the city.
The second stanza is about observations made while waiting for public transit. Most of the city's bus routes circle the mall, making it an important transit hub ("It's downtown where it all intersects"). "Some came down from the mountain" refers to the geological feature - the Niagara Escarpment - that runs through the city, creating a lower downtown and an upper city called "The Hamilton Mountain".
"College kids from the west" refers to the bands' alma mater, McMaster University on the western edge of the city. The singer - Max Kerman - is waiting for a bus heading in that direction, singing "As I wait for the bus coming from the east, There's generations of pride and elbow grease", referencing the industrial eastern end of the city that's deeply proud of its roots, but also rather economically-disadvantaged.
The third stanza references the city's perception, both internally and externally. "I heard this place was run by the mob, Buying everyone off down at city hall" references the long-standing belief among people in the city that local politicians are corrupt, with a large organized crime element in the city (the infamous Musitano and Papalia Families) once terrorizing local residents with restaurant bombings and intimidation.
References to "Oakville moms" and "Burlington dads" talks about the wealthy communities between Hamilton and Toronto that have a negative perception of the city, associating it with the crime and industry of the past. While the city has been changing dramatically over the past two decades, there are still those who denigrate Hamilton, characterized by the lines "If you're the kind with nothing to say, You heard about this party, but you're praying for rain."