Little Boxes Lyrics
This song almost explicitly says what the meaning is. It is a clear opposition to conformity. It frowns upon the idea of suburbia, talking about more than just the houses but about the way people lived. Everyone tried to conform to have the ideal house and the ideal children. It was the age when the middle class rose up and everyone tried to be like their neighbors. The boxes may be different colors but they are actually all the same, all made out of ticky-tacky. The people, before they lived in the boxes went to the university where they were all "put in boxes just the same." The institution of education attempts to conform everyone as well. They all play golf (very typical middle and upper class leisure activity) All the boys go into the business, and all the girls marry the boys in business, and everyone has "pretty" children. Pretty being white, middle class, typical children. This song raises the issue of challenging convention and conformity, and mostly reflected the era that it was composed in, but has also established meaning today.
This song is a critique of the Post-World War II trend of building neighborhoods and even towns out of copycat houses. Seeger is saying that these houses have no personality and the inhabitants are empty because the individual is not celebrated. Places like Levittown NY were "manufactured" communities where houses were put up in a matter of weeks and one neighborhood looked the same as the next.
Cookie cutter towns, cookie cutter personalities, cookie cutter lives....they all look just the same.
Actually, Silver, i wouldnt be too quick to call names. The song was not originally sung by Malvina. It was WRITTEN by her, for Pete Seegers to sing, so it is incorrect to say he covered it. However, she did write the song, not Seegers...so Silver, dont call names.
I dont think he is just talking about houses, I mean that has to be a part of it. but I feel like he is also talking about the people that are a part of that same institution. We make the houses and live in them, so we are also really all being trained to be the same.
And they came out all the same And there's doctors and lawyers And business executives And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.
This is a bit countryish and I usually hate that stuff, but I love this song cuz it reminds me soooo much of my hometown. Jeeze people! ever heard of the word 'unique'?
Just to add credit where it's due: this song was originally by Malvina Reynolds. Seeger definitely does it a compliment by covering it though.
my neighorhood is the same too, and it's not changing as well, here in las vegas... From a birds-eye view they look like concentration camps.
I live in Las Vegas too, Apoth. I agree completely. Bleh. Conformity..
vozzy hit the nail on the head. Cookie cutter neighborhoods that reflect the lack of individuality of the people. People conform to society's values and raise their kids to conform too because thats whats expected.