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Welfare Mothers Lyrics
People, pick up
on what I'm putting down now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Down at every
Laundromat in town now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
While they're washing
you can hear this sound now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Divorcee!
Hard to believe
that love is free now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Out on the street
with the whole family now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Hard to believe
that love is free now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Divorcee!
People, pick up
on what I'm putting down now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Down in every
Laundromat in town now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
While they're washing
you can hear this sound now
Welfare mothers
make better lovers
Divorcee!
on what I'm putting down now
make better lovers
Laundromat in town now
make better lovers
you can hear this sound now
make better lovers
that love is free now
make better lovers
with the whole family now
make better lovers
that love is free now
make better lovers
on what I'm putting down now
make better lovers
Laundromat in town now
make better lovers
you can hear this sound now
make better lovers
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In brief, it seems to be a put-down of the 'Free Love' concept that the hippies of the 60's promoted and practised. I think the song is saying that either the idea itself is flawed or the term and the way it promoted is, because it tends to result in unwanted pregnancies.
Or it could just be a put-down on people who cheat, thus causing break-ups of couples and leaving the mother to rely on welfare to help raise the child.
I don't care too much for either meaning though, being a Hippy at Heart myself! :p
Glad you understood it because I was very confused. Love the artist, but this song is not one of his best. Too many assumptions made about 'welfare mothers'....lumping them altogether. Decades ago there were many negative assumptions made about divorcees...until the numbers skyrocked, and some of those being cruel found themselves divorced....
Glad you understood it because I was very confused. Love the artist, but this song is not one of his best. Too many assumptions made about 'welfare mothers'....lumping them altogether. Decades ago there were many negative assumptions made about divorcees...until the numbers skyrocked, and some of those being cruel found themselves divorced....
I came here looking for some insight. My take is that he's being 'ironic' by claiming Welfare Mothers make better lovers. He's making a statement about preconceptions perhaps. Pointing out that conquences of "free love' are babies....
I came here looking for some insight. My take is that he's being 'ironic' by claiming Welfare Mothers make better lovers. He's making a statement about preconceptions perhaps. Pointing out that conquences of "free love' are babies....
Your analysis is spot on. It's a classic example of what you could call "wry social commentary". In the 70s, I don't think it was hip to point out the down-sides of "Free Love" and Freedom in general. Didn't matter to Neil, though, and fit in well with the punk movement that was questioning the dogma of the "revolution" at that time.
Your analysis is spot on. It's a classic example of what you could call "wry social commentary". In the 70s, I don't think it was hip to point out the down-sides of "Free Love" and Freedom in general. Didn't matter to Neil, though, and fit in well with the punk movement that was questioning the dogma of the "revolution" at that time.
Divorces were becoming commonplace, but don't forget that Neil came from one of the first "broken families" in his town, at a time when there was a real stigma attached to divorce....
Divorces were becoming commonplace, but don't forget that Neil came from one of the first "broken families" in his town, at a time when there was a real stigma attached to divorce. It was impossible for him to be indifferent to the phenomenon.
I think this is a happy song that means exactly what it seems to mean. Neil is a man of the people and the lower classes rock.
I've seen this pattern in many older rock songs. You have a bunch of musicians sitting around talking their normal trash with each other and then somebody says something that sets off a spark. The guys laugh and they start goofing around...before you know it a song is created. No special meaning, no deep ideas...just a rock song that means nothing but sounds good. I think that's a perfect example of Welfare Mothers. I can almost hear the boys sitting around the studio and one of them blurts out "You know welfare mothers make better lovers"..they laugh and voila a song is written.
@RonJonSurfer sometimes neil just lets the weirdness fly and it turns into something raw and messy, but it sticks with you
@RonJonSurfer sometimes neil just lets the weirdness fly and it turns into something raw and messy, but it sticks with you
@RonJonSurfer @ibedave Yep, sometimes that's all it takes.
@RonJonSurfer @ibedave Yep, sometimes that's all it takes.