Wilco – Kingpin

My OpinionThe protagonist in this song thinks he wants to settle down and be the main man (i.e., kingpin, bigwig) to his lover, living in Pekin (a small town in Illinois, but really any small town in the U.S.). However, the lure of the big city calls for him to give up the small-town life for hustle and bustle. He has "the flu," or itch, to seek bigger and better things, perhaps a faster life of drugs and music (hand claps). He realizes, though, that he only gets one chance at such a life, as suggested by the Statue of Liberty play--a trick play in football where the quarterback fakes a throw but hands off the ball to a running back, fooling the defense.

So, the protagonist is in a conundrum: Should he stay in the stability of a relationship in small-town Pekin or seek greener pastures in the city? The last verse insinuates he doesn't know which choice to make. However, the name of the song is "Kingpin," meaning he will likely forgo the fast life and be the kingpin of his relationship in Pekin.

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  @Heave

General CommentPekin is a town in Illinois near Peoria. Likely some place that Jeff and Co would've visited to play shows early in their careers. One of my college dorm friends was from Pekin and I spent a week there one day. Hmm... I can't remember his name, nor my dorm's name, or much else. Those were the days.

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  @plarpco

General CommentI dunno what this song means to me, but I like the wordplay. "Dimetapp and Spinal Tap, A-City Maps and hand claps." Kind of like how some of REM's best songs have no real meaning, just a lot of words thrown together that sound good.

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  @mark36
  +1

  I have to respectfully, but forcefully, disagree that the lyrics are nonsense. The specific lines that you quote "Dimetapp and Spinal Tap, city maps and hand claps" are a concise distillation of what it is like to be on the road with a band. Someone is always sick, Spinal Tap is endlessly quoted, maps are folded and refolded, and music is listened to, harmonized with, and clapped along to regularly. This is not a deep song by any means, but as far as capturing a scene with economy, that line in particular is one of Tweedy's best in my opinion.

  Flag pnkon January 16, 2010  

General Commentthe beat of this song is badass.

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  @IMissIEmily

General CommentI agree that the lyrics here are mostly nonsensical, but having lived for a short time in Beijing (Peking), it has a different sort of resonance for me.

I've heard it said that all flu viruses originate in China. Whether this is true or not, it's certainly true that the combination of poor hygiene (people cough then spit their phlegm out on the street), and overpopulation in urban areas like Beijing, makes flu viruses spread quickly there.

Whenever we'd come home to the West, I would stock up on cold and flu medication! Dimetap, PediaCare, etc.

Whenever I hear this song, I remember our time in Beijing fondly (because of the rocking beat! Yeah!) but I also imagine someone traveling to Beijing as a tourist (city-maps), and then catching a severe flu, taking all kinds of over the counter meds. Then, they cut their vacation short and fly back to New York. Haha!

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  @disparatehousewife