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Open Up The Border Lyrics
Won't you open up the border
To rivers running greenI have kilo loads of plastic
To trade for pumpkin seeds
I know folks in Wichita as well as Santa Fe
All veterans of the trade
Open it up, open it up, open it
Living for the trade
The merry wives of Windsor
I swapped for cans of Spam
While sipping fine darjeeling
With an English man
I know folks in Liverpool as well as in Bombay
All veterans of the trade
Open it up, open it up, open it
Living for the trade
In a tent on the caravan road you'll find those things you thought were gone
Bartered for jasmine and silk and furs of frozen mastodons
I know folks in Wichita as well as in Bombay
All veterans of the trade
To rivers running greenI have kilo loads of plastic
To trade for pumpkin seeds
All veterans of the trade
Living for the trade
I swapped for cans of Spam
While sipping fine darjeeling
With an English man
All veterans of the trade
Open it up, open it up, open it
Living for the trade
Bartered for jasmine and silk and furs of frozen mastodons
All veterans of the trade
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I don't think any mortal human except Neil Fallon himself can explain what his songs mean.
I think it literally means he wants the world's countries to open their borders for all.
"All veterans of the trade" Means something along the lines of "drug trade"
Open borders means no hassle or worry.
I think it literally means he wants the world's countries to open their borders for all.
"All veterans of the trade" Means something along the lines of "drug trade"
Open borders means no hassle or worry.
The song's about the recording industry and many artists/labels refusal to allow fans to record/trade bootlegs. The band actually encourages people to engage in this activity.
Here's my interpretation. It's about free trade, capitalism, globalization, etc. He talks about people in Wichita, Liverpool, Santa Fe, Bombay, in an attempt to put the song in a global context, and talks about trading various goods across borders, oceans, etc.He talks about trading culture for mass production ('wives of windsor for spam') and mixing of cultures ("while sipping fine Darjeeling with an English man")
Neil likes to wear many hats in his lyrics, and often he leaves his lyrics completely open, so it's hard to know exactly what statement he is trying to make. However, I'm sensing a kind of tongue in cheek sarcasm in the "open it up... living for the trade" parts of the song. My personal interpretation of these lyrics would be that of a criticism of globalist free trade, but there could be many other interpretations.
@silentryan I'm with you on the trade thing...mass product for culture but I think it's a criticism in underhandedness, dominance or ignorance. Maybe a mix of these. Check this shit out. https://youtu.be/HFiiqiwnZig
@silentryan I'm with you on the trade thing...mass product for culture but I think it's a criticism in underhandedness, dominance or ignorance. Maybe a mix of these. Check this shit out. https://youtu.be/HFiiqiwnZig
I think it romanticizes free trade agreements before the problems with them became readily apparent. Sure it benefits the people who like to travel, meet people from all walks and trade a surplus from one locale as a luxury or novelty in another.
However the cultural exchange implied hasn't happened. Due to the magnitude of US media and the proliferation of US consumer goods in factories worldwide, the cultural exports have only gone one way. It's the recipe for US hegemony, but it hasn't necessarily benefited the American people.