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Soft Picasso Lyrics
It was a modern love affair completely cool and casual
They hardly knew each other was there
Both of them had their own getting off to do
They had to dream about their own self when they were through
But the modern girl was elated with what the revolution gave her
Since she was liberated she could have anything that striked her fancy
And she fancied quite a bit if it felt good she did it
And she did it every chance she could get
With her main modern man and otherwise
And her taste wasn't limited to just modern guys
Since another modern girl showed her that modern girls know how to hold her
And after she had her eyes opened all her old close friends started getting closer
And new friends weren't that far away but the modern man wasn't so lucky being shook from his usual role as the heartbreaker
He was completely battered and bewildered
when he actually started in feeling something for her
And he discovered a new emotion when they stopped ending up together as frequently
And when he finally confronted her with the question had she been bedding down with others in the periphery without him
And she replied "Hell yes! ain't it funny!" so view the modern man looking like a soft Picasso
he's there with his head in his hand repeating to himself an epigram "Live by the scam, die by the scam."
They hardly knew each other was there
Both of them had their own getting off to do
They had to dream about their own self when they were through
But the modern girl was elated with what the revolution gave her
Since she was liberated she could have anything that striked her fancy
And she fancied quite a bit if it felt good she did it
And she did it every chance she could get
With her main modern man and otherwise
And her taste wasn't limited to just modern guys
Since another modern girl showed her that modern girls know how to hold her
And after she had her eyes opened all her old close friends started getting closer
And new friends weren't that far away but the modern man wasn't so lucky being shook from his usual role as the heartbreaker
He was completely battered and bewildered
when he actually started in feeling something for her
And he discovered a new emotion when they stopped ending up together as frequently
And when he finally confronted her with the question had she been bedding down with others in the periphery without him
And she replied "Hell yes! ain't it funny!" so view the modern man looking like a soft Picasso
he's there with his head in his hand repeating to himself an epigram "Live by the scam, die by the scam."
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Dude, it's amazing how Vic Chesnutt is an enormously talented artist and not even the Yanks recognize him that much.... even in this day and age, 2025 and this song doesn't have even an interpretation or even an attempt of giving it a meaning. Anyway, here's my view on the song. To me, this song talks about how "open" relationships are just scams people state to themselves just to deny and evade they are in a pretty fucked up emotional situation. So here both protagonists of the song are despicable persons. As they openly accept their promiscuity, but openly deny that they do any wrong when they do. This reflects in the girl character, as she believes that promiscuity and casual sex is a total revolution, that empowers her, even though she may hurt others' feelings, even from her main "modern man", who, by the way also is a slag, pretending to himself and others he is a total "heartbreaker" when latter the story unveils, he is someone pretty void inside and he actually holds a huge pain to see how his main "modern girl" just ain't faithful to him anymore and she just ride every cock she fancy, and even told this stupid guy that is funny on his silly face. Anyway, beyond this, the song closes magnificently when the guy actually is the only one to recognize he lived a scam and died for it, as he never actually liked the course of the events in his fucked up relationship. Now, my feelings on this whole subject are that for some reason, I think girls are actually more indolent than guys in toxic relationships like the one depicted in the song. Maybe because they are familiar and culturally grown as subjects of desire, so eventually they gain attention and care for men, while men are familiar and culturally grown to hide their real feelings and hold the tears and emotional pain, so they can't speak clearly when, for example, a relationship breaks away, they just hold the freakin pain and pretend they are strong when they are not, when they are diyng inside. Both, if you ask me, are terrible kinds of people who just hurt others and show no mercy, and a huge selfishness just to not be honest to each other.
Personally, something similar happened to me, similar to what the song expresses, first I already knew this girl cheated on me, and I also knew I was a slag to her, but when she finally dumped me I was shattered... So yeah, if that experience was useful, it was to reaffirm my utter contempt, for these polyamorous relationships or those phony gross promiscuity values defended as "modern" but only practiced by shit people that actually hate themselves and are total void and damaged souls inside.
[Edit: Correct some expressions]