| The White Stripes – De Ballit of de Boll Weevil Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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A boll weevil is a beetle that feeds off cotton bolls, the young buds of the cotton plants. There was a particularly big outbreak in the 20s, which really wiped the American cotton industry. In this context, I think the boll weevil is referring to a drifter, a vagabond who goes from town to town, hence the search for a home. He's called a boll weevil probably because he's seen as a pest, leeching off people like the boll weevil feeds off of farmers' crops. Undertones of the racial divide ("You treat me just like a man / And I'll have a home") makes me think this is possibly about a black drifter. |
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