| The Smiths – Death of a Disco Dancer Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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There are people in this world who claim to want "love, peace and harmony," but are so afraid of rocking the boat that they never end up working to actually achieve those goals, arguing instead that those goals are great and all, but must be put off until "the next world" or some other, future utopia that doesn't require effort on their part here and now. In other words, they never stand up for anyone that isn't like them in THIS world right now, because doing so is not "acceptable" within their social circle. In this case, a "disco dancer" in the late 1980s (when disco was long over) was a slang term for gay people, who were literally dying of things like violence, AIDS and drug overdoses, but received very little concern from the broader society. At the time, many "respectable" people chose to ignore the literal deaths of other human beings rather than risk doing something about it and therefore being seen as sympathizing with "someone like that" who they felt were suffering the "natural consequences" of their choices and therefore didn't deserve extra attention to the issues and concerns they were facing. Basically, I interpret this song as a metaphor for how "respectable people" cannot be relied on to ever achieve anything close to "peace, love and harmony," because they will never have the courage to stand up for people who are not like them, especially if they are marginalized people they see as undeserving. As the lyrics put it, "if you think peace is a common goal, that goes to show how little you know" because there are a LOT of people who are not actually interested in doing what it takes or taking the risks necessary to move society towards actually achieving "love, peace and harmony." |
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| Bad Brains – Secret 77 Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I'm pretty sure "Secret 77" is a reference to Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey, who prophesied that "when the two sevens clash," past injustices inflicted on African peoples around the world would be avenged. The prophecy is famous among Jamaicans and Rastafarians, and H.R. is obviously into Rasta. The prophecy also inspired other songs, like the classic roots reggae song "Two Sevens Clash" by Culture. In the 70s, people in Jamaica interpreted the prophecy to mean that there would be some sort of revolutionary event on July 7, 1977. Culture put out their single just before that date and it became a major hit in Jamaica. The popularity of the Culture song and the general sense among the black population that there needed to be an uprising caused people on the island, particularly whites, to stay indoors that day, thinking there would chaos on the streets. The thinking was that the "two sevens clashing" referred to two sevens next to each other, like in 1977, and that since July 7 would be written as 7/7, it was also a month and day when two sevens would clash. That interpretation didn't hold up, as nothing really happened on that day, but the prophecy is still out there. Long story short, Secret 77 is the still hidden meaning of Marcus Garvey's prophecy. |
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| Billy Bragg – Between The Wars Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The important thing to remember with this song is that it was written for and released on a 4 track EP dedicated to the UK miner's strike in 1985. The album was designed to garner support for the striking miners among the general public, and the proceeds from the sales of the EP went to the strike fund. So, while the song may bring to mind the depression, the 1930's, and the World Wars, the subject matter is meant to be much more timely than a song written to represent an historical period of long ago. This is why the song ends by pointing out that we are now between the wars (the last one and the inevitable next one). Bragg references raising a family in times of austerity, which for the working class seems to be all the time, no matter the period. First it was austerity in order to pay for the Great War, then it was austerity following in order to build up the country's economy again, followed by austerity during the second World War. This was then followed by austerity after the bombings of the war. At the time of the strike, and at the time Bragg wrote the song, Margeret Thatcher was implementing conservative policies and austerity measures under the guise that it was necessary to restore the economy. In short, the working class lives in perpetual austerity under various excuses. He points out that no matter who's in charge, Tory's or Labor, prosperity is often tied to imperialism, conflict and war. Thus prosperity is brought down at the armoury, where the working class finds employment and the country finds prosperity not in elevating the population but in preparing for the next war. Despite the hardships of the working people, they keep their faith in democracy, and they vote for a "helping hand" to solve societies problems rather than the "iron fist" which brings order through force. Those who do want the iron fist to enforce their will by force see their country as a land with a wall around it... seeing enemies everywhere and thus constantly in a state of war hysteria. They see life in terms of hope for a better world, brought about by the glory of war. But the working people just want the green fields, and the right to a dignified life through the fruits of their labor. The working people want a rational society, where basic needs are met throughout one's life, where things like education, economic security, and the better things in life are not just a fairy tale. The hope for such a society seems so remote that even if a worker's government is not possible, the working classes are willing to devote themselves to a government that can at least promise them a living wage. The song wraps up with a call to find the men that will form the society where war is a thing a past. It calls for bringing up the banners of the early socialist movement, when anit-militarism, democracy, worker's control, and internationalism were not only abandoned but made up the founding pillars of the movement. The final lines are in reference to the rather moderate road the UK took towards progress in comparison to the rest of the world. Unlike other European powers that pursued extremes such as fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the UK has maintained it's basic democratic structure. This is why moderation is called the heart of the nation, and the cry is that moderation not be deserted in favor of the extremes mentioned before, but that moderation remain as the working people try to implement a better society. |
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