| Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don't Stand a Chance Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I actually think that it may be about cotton and the child labor used in Egypt and Uzbekistan to produce it. In Uzbekistan, they shut down schools and make the kids sleep in the fields during cotton picking season. Families in Egypt with cotton farms just can't afford to have their children not work. That would explain the references to pillows and Egyptian cotton, and perhaps the shirtsleeve. I think the lines about history and romance do refer to the drug trade, because as far as I know, no one is murdering cotton in protest of child labor. So, I think it is a statement on how western consumerism and the new appetite for luxury items is no better for third world citizens, especially children, than the drug trade. I have no idea what to think of the France except that it is typically the start of most fashion. But I think "shiny, shiny cufflinks" is more important than that. I'm also pretty clueless on "pin stripe men in morning," unless it's another fashion reference. "paper's shot to pieces" is another one lost on me. Finally, I have to point out the shift in viewpoints. The first verse completely lacks a subject, so we assume the subject would be from the chorus--"Pin-Striped Men iof Morning." The next verse imoves to second person,"You," and the third verse is first person--"I didn't like the business." Not sure if it's on purpose, but it brings home the point about how we're ultimately responsible for a lot of what happens. Great site---was clueless on the songs on this album, which I just found last week and fell immediately in love with. |
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