The Laws Have Changed Lyrics
Though the hero for hire's forever the same one
Introducing for the first time
Pharaoh on the microphone
Sing all hail what'll be revealed today
When we peer to the great unknown
From the line to the throne
We are shocked to be here in the face of the meantime
Pharaoh all your methods have taught me is to
Seperate my blood from bone
It will all fail
Feel what I feel today
When we peer to the great unknown
From the line to the throne
Form a line through here
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line through here
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line to the throne
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line to the throne
x2
How well you can play when the pawn takes a queen now
Introducing for the first time
Pharaoh on the microphone
Sing all hail what will be revealed today
When we peer to the great unknown
From the line to the throne
When we peer to the great unknown
From the line to the throne
Form a line through here
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line through here
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line to the throne
(La la la la la la la)
Form a line to the throne
x2
It was crime at the time but the laws have changed yeah
This song is a scathing criticism of American Foreign Policy from 2003 onwards. The “crime” refers to the US breaking just war theory and UN resolutions in the invasion of Iraq. The US set a precedent of preemptive warfare, “changing the laws” as it were, from the post-WWII order that it had previously constructed, bypassing NATO and the UN and instead relying on ‘coalitions of the willing.’ The Pharaoh is President Bush, who along with his staff issued a new National Security Report in 2003 about America’s role in the 21st century (the “great unknown”). This report declared that America would seek to stop threats before they erupted in tragedy. After the many foreign policy failures of the 90’s, (Rwanda, Somalia, Kosovo, etc) the American people were awakened to “cheers after years on the faultline” – that is, years of inaction. The song suggests that this kind of policy of unilaterally going after every threat is unwise, “it will all fail.” The pawn, that is, a nation having almost no military capability, will win over the most powerful nation in the world (the ‘queen’). Now it remains to be seen how the rest of the countries and the United States will react to an emerging world were American unipolarity is not as solid as it was after World War 2.
I'm just straight down with this being a song about Exodus; straight up Torah old testament. "Form a line to the throne" can be interpreted as when the Egyptians threw the newborn boys into the Nile, or when Moses and Aaron went and talked to Pharaoh. There's no mistaking the Pharaoh part. I like the song as one about Moses.
"Great Unknown" is Mount Sinai and the Torah. The Pawn is the Jews, The Queen is the Egyptians. Moses is the hero for hire, but I do agree that the song references that the Hero Journey's always the same. "Blood from bone" the Lamb blood on the door-post before the Tenth Plague, whereafter the Jews ate the lambbone.
Great catchy and clever song. I like Perpetual Peace's interpretation of the lyrics.
The music video appears to be working on a whole different level though.
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-LDCRL8Js ]
Anyone able to intrepet the video's meaning, in particluar the captions appearing in the second half?
Guy hands barman a photo. Barman: What you have already lost, consider as totally lost.
... Girl: What are you thinking about?
Guy: What is this dance called?
Girl: "The Electric Version" Girl: Vade retro! Vade ultra! Girl: You'll just have to take it. Girl: Take it 'til the end!
Girls starts a synchronised dance routine with others on dance floor, beckoning Guy to follow. He does.
The video is basically about bringing down an idealistic philosopher down to the basics of sex&drugs&roch´nroll. So when the barman spekas to him, he tells him, it is too late for him, to go back to the statue and do as if he still got his principles. So he finally gets interrested in all the music and dancing all around him and asks the girl what its all about. So then comes the coolest part of the dialogue — the girl is speaking Latin! Vade retro! Vade ultra! Thats interresting, because you see that she is also trying to speak in his...
The video is basically about bringing down an idealistic philosopher down to the basics of sex&drugs&roch´nroll. So when the barman spekas to him, he tells him, it is too late for him, to go back to the statue and do as if he still got his principles. So he finally gets interrested in all the music and dancing all around him and asks the girl what its all about.
So then comes the coolest part of the dialogue — the girl is speaking Latin! Vade retro! Vade ultra!
Thats interresting, because you see that she is also trying to speak in his terms, after she learned that he is interrested in hers. Ok, and whats she sayin?
Go back! Go to extreme!
Seems like alternatives, but maybe it is the same in some sense.
Ok, an then the girls start to dance synchronized and he realises that their worls is not stupid at all and it could be fun to be part of it.
The funny thing is how the video canges the interpretation of the lyrics. the "Pharao", "the great unknown", "what will be revealed today" and "Follow the line!" get completely different meanings.
On the other hand, this fits perfectly to the Perpetual Peace's interpretation of the lyrics. The misleading of the american people — away from the principles of the constitution and the bill of rights. In this sense "What you have already lost, consider as totally lost" means, that if the US use torture themselves, they can never claim to be definding human rights anymore.
On the other hand, this fits perfectly to the Perpetual Peace's interpretation of the lyrics. The misleading of the american people — away from the principles of the constitution and the bill of rights. In this sense "What you have already lost, consider as totally lost" means, that if the US use torture themselves, they can never claim to be definding human rights anymore.
I believe this song is an obscure piece of poetry, referring to the hopelessness of modern politics and why it is becoming more and more a moral issue. The lyrics reflect the absurdity of "rights", as they can be altered at any time. Hence, "crime at the time, but the laws we changed 'em". The world is more and more chaotic.
But the lyrics are also about the stupidity of nationalism are pride in the government. "All hail what will be revealed today." The moral aspects of government have been overtaken by the absurdity of nationalism, this ridiculous regional pride. A catchy song, and with lyrics that make you think. Brilliant work.
Perpetual_Peace, everything you say is right on. There's all kinds of metaphor to be read into the lyrics, but everything you've said is what NP intended with this song. Zuckertalert, all those names and phrases are there, but they're metaphors for Bush's U.S. policies, not simply literal discussions of the bible. NP are definitely literary lyricists and they've got their references down. This song is a straight-up clear indictment and Neko Case sings her lines with such a heartbreaking, yearning, wistful keening that it makes the political emotional -- it almost has that "saudade" of Portuguese fado in a way, as if Bush wiped out everything that came before, leaving us aching with longing for a time so far past that we can't even remember what it was like to feel pride in America... GENIUSES!
this song is awesome like whoa.
so catchy.
but what the hell is it about?
I get the feeling sometimes that New Pornographers use their ridiculously catchy pop as a vehicle for uber-subversive obtuse lyrics:
"alone in the chain it remains to be seen how how well you can play when the pawn takes the queen now"
what??? also the lyrics do sound nice phoenetically, so maybe thats the whole point...
Sounds kinda like a "we will overcome" rebellion type tune with lines like "when the pawn takes a queen" and "awakened to cheers after years on the faultline". Sounds like they're using the Jews building the pyramids for the Pharaoh as the vehicle.