| James Taylor – Traffic Jam Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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I seem to remember there were 2 versions of this song: the edited version, which was occasionally played on "pop" radio stations, and the full version, which was played more often on the album rock stations. And you're right, the song is too short, and too fun to be cut for political sensitivity, especially considering the ****... er, content that does (or did) get airplay. |
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| Frank Zappa – Po-Jama People Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Frank was notoriously anti-drug. He was rather famous for stopping in the middle of a concert, if he saw people in the audience passing a joint, or popping pills, or doing something else obviously drug related, and lecturing them about drug use. There is an example of this in at least one of his concert videos. That said, the song is about a number of people in his band and entourage that would come to work stoned on downers (and other drugs, but primarily downers). He had little patience for such people, and even fired a few of them. This song is his rant about it. |
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| Frank Zappa – Cosmik Debris Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"The price of meat has just gone up, an' yer ol' lady has just gone down..." I think he's inferring that the guru's "ol' lady" is a prostitute. The butcher reference, I think, is separate from the meat joke, though. A guru is a Hindu teacher. Most devout Hindu's don't eat meat, because of their belief in reincarnation. So, apparently the speaker is inferring that the guru is incompetent, in a very insulting manner. |
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| Steely Dan – Sign in Stranger Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Oh, yeah. The last stanza: "Love or leave her" is a frequent reply to someone who offers criticism (deserved or not) about a town, state or nation, in this case, Mizar 5. Yellow fever, here, refers to rampant infectious cowardice: You hate what you see going on around you, but, like everyone else, who feels the same, you hesitate to do or say anything about it for fear of losing everything, including your life. So, you stay and "play the game," contributing to the criminal enterprise, by your inaction. In a final blast of contempt, the singer says, "So who are you? Just another scurvy brother." He means that you're just another worthless piece of scum, like the rest of us, here on Mizar 5. When I hear this song, I think of that 70s sci-fi flick, Outland, with Sean Connery and Peter Boyle. But, in the movie, Connery's character refuses to turn a blind eye.... |
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| Steely Dan – Sign in Stranger Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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My take on the lyrics of this song: "Turkish union dues" is a reference to the overt corruption among the principal labor unions in Turkey during the 50s and 60s, some of which had greater annual revenue than the government, at the time. Union dues were often extorted, and often had nothing to do with membership. Union officials could get away with practically anything, with no consequences. "Pepe's got a scar from ear to ear. He will make your mug shot disappear." Pepe is dead. He's had his throat slashed, and his body will be a stand-in for yours, so if anyone asks, you're dead (wink, wink). Case closed. This is also what "zombie" (and the chorus) refers to: You're dead, but you're not dead. Get it? "Do you like to take a yo-yo for a ride? Zombie I can see you're qualified." Ratfinkabooboo (I like the handle -- seen the movie) has it nailed, and I'll add: If you want to execute the little creep, no one will come looking for you, 'cause you're dead. Pepe took care of that (see above), remember? The lyrics are quite brutal, and very well written. Anyway, that's my interpretation. |
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