Italian Leather Sofa

It's pretty much just about two really superficial people, who are only together for selfish reasons. The woman likes the man's money, and the man likes the sex. They could care less about anything else.

I loved this for the poetry reference, actually. Pretty cut and dried - this is a picture of a trophy wife who is perfectly happy with exchanging sex for the status and money of being associated with a rich and powerful man. I find it amusing that this song doesn't actually feel very negative about them - both the man and the woman seem to be just fine with the arrangement - so why should we care? As for the serrated edge - let's be clear, a serrated edge has teeth. It's the type you'd find on a bread knife, and it works pretty much the way they describe it in the song. (As such, it would be completely useless for cocaine and also would bear little resemblance to any part of female anatomy or masturbatory device.) As "she's got" this serrated edge, I'm confident that it means her methods of manipulating the relationship so that she gets exactly what she wants out of it. But that's ok - the chorus implies that the man gets exactly what he wants out of it, as well. :)

Ok, my thought on the serrated edge... Don't read so far into it. She is simply cutting meat with some very sharp and very expensive cutlery. It's another reference to yuppie luxuries.

@ZIMsonic - Simon and Garfunkle probably were inspired by that poem too, but I think of "I am a Rock" by S&G when I think of the man being an island. He's emotionally isolated.

okay, the "she doesnt care whether or not hes an island" seemed to me to be an obvious refrence to this poem

"No man is an island, entire of itself every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls it tolls for thee. "

The poem is basically saying that everyone is connected and no one is the only person that matters. so when the girl says that she doesnt care either way, it means he could be self centered or not, shes to self centered to really care.

after many weeks of pondering i have figured out the meaning

its about a woman who owns lots of vibrators. this italian leather sofa is a metaphor for an xxl leather vibrator. when she gets what she wants, she puts it in a tray in the freezer. her husband doesnt notice the sofa is gone because he is an island. also his gold watch is also a fake vagina that he uses to stimulate himself. when her ship comes in it takes her to the vibrator store. the store is in the ocean so nobody knows shes buying vibrators

This song is nihilistic. Like a lot of Cake songs, the lyrics seem fine on the surface but the subtext is disturbing.

Are these two happy? Their materialistic lives are empty and disconnected. She doesn't care if he's an island... meaning that he's disconnected from humanity but it doesn't matter to her. (Presumably because they aren't that connected to each other, either.)

Gold watch, Italian leather sofa... both indicate wealth. Healthy breasts bouncing on the sofa certainly refers to sex. She's taken from behind; neither partner looks at each other.

About that serrated edge... this is where the dark turn comes in. A serrated edge is only found on a knife. Think about a toothed knife like a bread knife or carving knife. It's true that using such a knife requires little force. What is she carving anyway? There's only one interpretation that fits with the rest of the song. She's amputating his penis. She puts it in the freezer in a ziploc bag.

This album was released in 1996, 3 years after the John and Lorena Bobbitt case made national headlines. 3 years is about how long it took in the 90's to write, record, and release a song on a CD.

I love this song, even though it reminds me of all the eurotrash bastards I hated in undergrad. They had the money and the women, and I had a beer gut and all the charm of an open sewer. I also like the American Psycho-esque imagery.

Like J.J. said, it's about two very superficial people. She doesn't care if he talks to her, or if they are really in love. She just stays with him for the parties, the people, and the money. He stays with her for the sex. It's a bunch of yuppie bullshit. (But a really good song... haha.)

The rest of the song makes sence, but does anyone have any ideas on the meaning of the serrated edge verse?