@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
(Rag and bone) rag and bone
(Rag and bone) rag and bone
Meg, look at this place
What? Woo
Well, this place is like a mansion
It's like a mansion, look at all this stuff
I dunno
Look, I see something over there
Woo, man
Well, can't you hear us selling "rag and bone"?
Bring out your junk and we'll give it a home
A broken trumpet or a telephone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Yeah
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Oh, rag and bone
Rag and bone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
Well, man, look at all this, you don't want it?
(I could use that)
You sure you don't want it, man? (I could use)
Take it
It's just things you don't want, I can use 'em
Meg can use 'em, we can do something with 'em
We'll make something out of 'em
Make some money out of 'em at least
This fits me perfect
Give it to me
Hey, if you ain't gonna use it, just give it to us
We'll give it a home
Well, have they got something shiny for me?
Anybody got a Christmas tree?
Can you partwith a toilet seat?
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Rag and bone
We wanna get it, granny, while it's hot
You think it's trash, granny, but it's not
Oh, we'll be taking whatever you got
Ah, give up, ah, give up, ah, give up
Come on and give it to me
Woo
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
I saw some stuff in your yard are you gonna give it to us?
Ah, Meg, don't be rude
Or not?
They might need it
If you don't want it, we'll take it
If you don't wanna give it to us, we'll keep walking by
We'll keep going we're not tired
Got plenty of places to go, lots of homes we ain't been to yet
On the west side, the south-west side
Middle east, rich house, dog house, outhouse, old folks' house
House for unwed mothers, halfway homes, catacombs, twilight zones
Look at what techniques turn tables to gramophones
So take a last lick of your ice-cream cone
And lock up what you still wanna own
But please be kind (take your time)
And don't rewind (it's fine)
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
Yeah
Your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Oh
your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to us
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Rag and bone) rag and bone
Meg, look at this place
What? Woo
Well, this place is like a mansion
It's like a mansion, look at all this stuff
I dunno
Look, I see something over there
Woo, man
Well, can't you hear us selling "rag and bone"?
Bring out your junk and we'll give it a home
A broken trumpet or a telephone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Yeah
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Oh, rag and bone
Rag and bone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
Well, man, look at all this, you don't want it?
(I could use that)
You sure you don't want it, man? (I could use)
Take it
It's just things you don't want, I can use 'em
Meg can use 'em, we can do something with 'em
We'll make something out of 'em
Make some money out of 'em at least
This fits me perfect
Give it to me
Hey, if you ain't gonna use it, just give it to us
We'll give it a home
Well, have they got something shiny for me?
Anybody got a Christmas tree?
Can you partwith a toilet seat?
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Rag and bone
We wanna get it, granny, while it's hot
You think it's trash, granny, but it's not
Oh, we'll be taking whatever you got
Ah, give up, ah, give up, ah, give up
Come on and give it to me
Woo
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
I saw some stuff in your yard are you gonna give it to us?
Ah, Meg, don't be rude
Or not?
They might need it
If you don't want it, we'll take it
If you don't wanna give it to us, we'll keep walking by
We'll keep going we're not tired
Got plenty of places to go, lots of homes we ain't been to yet
On the west side, the south-west side
Middle east, rich house, dog house, outhouse, old folks' house
House for unwed mothers, halfway homes, catacombs, twilight zones
Look at what techniques turn tables to gramophones
So take a last lick of your ice-cream cone
And lock up what you still wanna own
But please be kind (take your time)
And don't rewind (it's fine)
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
Yeah
Your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Oh
your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to us
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Lyrics submitted by inthissilentvoid
Rag And Bone Lyrics as written by Jack White
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I definitely agree about Effect and Cause/Summertime Blues (orig. by Eddie Cochran), but the rest of your comparisons are way off.
While I can see and appreciate that those songs and artists have had an influence on the White Stripes in general, none of the specific Stripes songs could be called a rip off or reworking of the same melodies of the songs you mentioned. I'm not saying Jack didn't nick a riff or two from elsewhere for his songs, but the similarities between your mentions is rudimentary at best and not really worthy of comparison.
On a side note, Tom Petty's "Last Dance" is more similar to Neil Young's "Ohio" than the Stripes' "Martyr for My Love" is to either of them.
Having said that, folk and blues does have a tradition of re-using melodies, phrases, imagery and whatnot (something the White Stripes and Jack have obviously continued doing) so I think your interpretation of Rag and Bone as being about that does indeed sound valid.