| Panic! at the Disco – Mercenary Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Oops! Missed one. The verse regarding this songs titular word refers mostly to Catwoman and her love of money, being that it is her primary goal (/hence why she never 'leaves her post when the cash runs out'), and that as a 'mercenary of love' she often uses seduction and sultry teases to either get what she wants, or distract her mark. The second half, however, refers to her love of the Batman, and the final line states she serves as his support when all else fails- in the game, she actually does play a role in both saving him and motivating him. That, or an unknown announcer is telling Catwoman directly to take action- 'taking the stage' could refer to her occasional switching to the main character if you downloaded her story or bought Arkham City new. | |
| Panic! at the Disco – Mercenary Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think the first verse alludes to a particular duo of Batman villains that play pivotal roles in the story. The first references a 'dime-store poet' who is 'keeping pace and talking his face blue.' This in particular references the Joker I believe, as the 'dime store poet' line may be referring to his constant use of rhyme and jokes when he speaks. Secondly, he 'keeps pace' with Batman as his complete opposite, matching every good action from the Dark Knight with a fierce retaliation everytime. Also (spoilers) The Joker is incredibly sick during Arkham City, and also, well... Never shuts up. Hence 'talking his face blue' The second villain, then, would undoubtedly be two-face. When viewed as a singular statement, 'Two dollar store tramps' seems like he's talking about cheap prostitutes, or at least that is often the first inflection to come to mind. This is not the case, when viewed separately, we have 'Two', 'Dollar', 'Store', 'Tramps'. 'Two', meaning the two personalities of Harvey Dent, 'Dollar' being his signature coin, the word 'store' is possibly just a connecting word, or the way Catwoman views Dent, and the word 'Tramp' may be referring to her sultry behavior, or simply insulting Two-face. The last part of the beginning states 'To get a glance, new chance at you'. This could be from both the perspective of both Hugo Strange and Batman. Batman who is trying to stop Strange and his nefarious 'Protocol 10', and Strange who is always analyzing the mind of the Dark Knight. Okay, this next one is interesting, but a clear innuendo towards a separate meaning exists. Quick vocab for anyone reading this, a 'cuckold' is either a man whose wife has committed adultery, or a man who has accepted an EXTREMELY submissive role in his relationship with a wife or girlfriend. A concubine is essentially the female version of the same thing with a minor variation. Anyway, this partnered with the dance floor reflects the two lives of Bruce Wayne: The debauchery and lies of the social high class with bumbling scandalous lovers left and right, and the paved battlegrounds of Gotham City, this time with the cuckolds and concubines referring to the hundreds of lower-grade thugs who allow their wills to be bent and forced by criminals like The Joker, The Penguin, Two Face... Need I go on? 4/4 time is a basic time signature, that repeats every four beats- meaning a steady flow of both the lavish lies of the high class and brutal beatings of the ruthless criminal element in the underworld. Now, this may not be a popular opinion, but I think the Bellman is actually representative of no other than Alfred Pennyworth. "Hey mister" Could be a call of concern, and as always, Batman/Bruce deflects the worry with a level-headed, witty retort. Alfred then asks exactly how he continues his crusade after every beating ("How do you manage"). And Bruce tells him by saying more or less, "The only thing I CAN do." (I Dodge the blast... Collateral Damage") As he is well aware that he is excellent at preserving himself, he cannot save everyone. The last part of note are spoken in-game lines from Hugo Strange, taunting Batman at the site of his parents murder. The fact that 'I dodge the blast and apologize for collateral damage' line is repeated again here could be considered as Batmans resistance to the Strange's taunts and plans, although at this point I may be looking a bit too far into it. But hey, there was a point where I could have stopped and I passed that long ago, so lets continue and see where this goes. I suppose, if I were looking any deeper, than I would say the repetition of the chorus could simply represent the strength of Batmans unyielding resolve. Or maybe they're there to make the song longer, hey, just a theory. |
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