I can't keep up with what's been going on
I think my heart must just be slowing down
Among the human beings in their designer jeans
Am I the only one who hears the screams
And the strangled cries of lawyers in love

God sends his spaceships to America, the beautiful
They land at six o'clock and there we are, the dutiful
Eating from TV trays, tuned into to Happy Days
Waiting for World War III while Jesus slaves
To the mating calls of lawyers in love

Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitol
The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them, like Russians will
Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon
And I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soon
As vacation land for lawyers in love


Lyrics submitted by szulc

Lawyers In Love song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +4
    My Interpretation

    The statements here are pretty direct and in almost every line: This song identifies America as a consumer society in which people pursue material possessions that do not create actual happiness. "Lawyers" seem to be called out simply as one of the higher paid occupations. This song came out at the same time the word "yuppie" was used to identify the kind of individual the song portrays as concerned with designer jeans and television.

    The Russian/WW3 idea plays up the Cold War tension that was particularly heightened in the early 80s and thinks the conflict through: Even if America triumphs over the Soviets, it has an empty culture that will only spread further (even to the Moon).

    The critique of consumer culture is not original, but putting it in the context of a possible Cold War victory was nicely prophetic.

    rikdad101@yahoo.comon January 27, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Partly. Lawyers in Love is such a perfect title that it could really stand alone. Love is such a spontaneous thing with no rules or guidelines. The ideas of Lawyers partaking in love and getting married is so strange. How could two people that milk other perople for money and have no emotions fall in love.

    Tmo2199on May 07, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I heard Jackson do this song live in Belgium in 1982 a year before the album was released. By way of introduction, he said "this song is about ........ (long pause) ..... this song is about the United States right now". I've never really worked out what the title "Lawyers In Love" really means, but with the lines "I hear the USSR will be open soon/as vacation land to lawyers in love", Jackson seemed to envisage Russia being taken over by the worst aspects of American culture .... and a few years later, it happened. Mikhail Gorbachev championed the changes, but while many people in the former Soviet Union despise him for it, the proponents of new right economics in the west loved him for it.

    detailrichon October 18, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I have tried to figure this out over and over. I kept thinking that it must have been a theme song to some t.v. series about lawyers, but I know that's wrong. After reading these reviews, I am still perplexed. Still, it is a catchy little tune.

    bjd841on June 14, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    People fall in love but it often ends with someone taking someone to court, e.g., divorce. Thus you have lawyers in love. But it's not just divorce, it's about the pain in people's lives, their relationships and their striving. And when things fail, those who love each other, or ought to, end up resorting to harshness and fighting, the kind you need lawyers for.

    Grabboon December 30, 2016   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    JB taking a swipe at apathy and American obsession with TV?

    Still one of those songs that make you think.

    TinyTimon December 21, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Jackson actually said this has nothing to do with Lawyers...or love.

    nic-ckon October 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's not a clearly understood song,but it's got alotta nostalgia and glasnost. ;)

    redshiftdazzleron December 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I was surprised this song became the hit it did. I suppose it is the strength of Jackson Browne's musicality. Definitely a political song meant to make the public think. Being a lawyer it is one of my favorites. This is me <a href="url">attyjeraldsilvia.com/</a>

    Attorneyjson June 02, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    I think the song is about James Carville and Mary Matelin. 2 people from opposite sides of the political spectrum who truly are lawyers in love. They are the metaphor of our consumerism and toys and burying our head in the sand, while our world is deteriorating. It is great that one can not label this song as favoring one political side over the other.

    HotTampaon March 03, 2014   Link

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