Sackcloth And Ashes Lyrics
I think you guys are missing the point. It's not about materialism; it's about self-confidence. Sackcloth and ashes are traditional symbols of penance (in the past, monks would actually wear deliberately chafing garments to punish themselves for their worldly sins and prepare themselves for God). This is the joke of that line about "the silly habit you've put on" -- both a figurative monk's habit (clothes) and a behavioral/psychological habit (relentless self-accusation and despair). It's also the joke behind the line about "she's not sorry for her sins / as long as she looks good" -- the girl is not in the same self-punishing mindset as the boy here.
So here's the setup: boy, after a breakup, is going around feeling like he's totally worthless: "sullen and regretful, querulous and fretful, carrying a head full of evil thoughts." He meets a new girl, and it's the right girl, in the right place, and she's totally hot and fun, but he's too messed up to be able to go for it; he could only be "someone to feel sorry for," and she's not into that. So until he comes out of his depression, he's not getting any. (Corollary: it's easy to get another girlfriend when you already have one and you're feeling confident, but really hard when you're feeling lonely and rejected).
this is an awesome song. its obviously about how some people are very materialistic, which is no good. but its also about how some people who havent always had alot of material things in life want to be with the trendy materialistic people which is argualbly just as bad or worse. in the bridge when it says "...though and strong enough, and wrong and wrong enough for long enough to belong there." to me means that if he keeps acting the way he does the "silly habit [he] puts on" will become more than a habit and will become nature and he will be just as materialistic as the subject girl, and until then when he still has values that are more than material he will feel bad about the way he is acting but he will care less and less as time goes on. and in that time there will be girls and people who want to befriend him for what he is now but he will kinda shirk them off because he's got his eye on the prize.
But it says "in your sackcloth and ashes you'll never make them understand," he's still his old self. Either way, this song reminds me of "Vintage Queen" by Goldfinger. I dig the guitar in this song.
hmmm...good point
I think you guys are missing the point. It's not about materialism; it's about self-confidence. Sackcloth and ashes are traditional symbols of penance (in the past, monks would actually wear deliberately chafing garments to punish themselves for their worldly sins and prepare themselves for God). This is the joke of that line about "the silly habit you've put on" -- both a figurative monk's habit (clothes) and a behavioral/psychological habit (relentless self-accusation and despair). It's also the joke behind the line about "she's not sorry for her sins / as long as she looks good" -- the girl is not in the same self-punishing mindset as the boy here.
So here's the setup: boy, after a breakup, is going around feeling like he's totally worthless: "sullen and regretful, querulous and fretful, carrying a head full of evil thoughts." He meets a new girl, and it's the right girl, in the right place, and she's totally hot and fun, but he's too messed up to be able to go for it; he could only be "someone to feel sorry for," and she's not into that. So until he comes out of his depression, he's not getting any. (Corollary: it's easy to get another girlfriend when you already have one and you're feeling confident, but really hard when you're feeling lonely and rejected).