Year of the Tiger

Figure the song to be about someone who's lost money due to the recession

Once wealthy "Italian shoes... Suitcase of cash..." the character now struggles to buy a "cup of coffee." 2010 -- the year of the tiger -- she lives in fear, borrowing and trying to survive: "Oh America, can I owe you one?"

I agree with onlineatron. But I'd go further and say the song is from the perspective of not just "someone," but the capitalist, the corporation. "Oh America, can I owe you one?" calls my mind to GM and Chrysler as well as the financial firms, who took money from Uncle Sam.

The cup of coffee line is interesting not just because it shows how far the capitalist has fallen, but it also calls my attention to the whole "peak coffee" crisis leading to a dramatic jump in bulk coffee prices.

I had never heard the word rubes before. Definition for anyone who's interested: "n. derogatory. A country bumpkin. From an abbreviation of the name 'Reuben.'"

I hear "can I owe you one" not "can't owe you one"

It's "NOW my kingdom for a cup of coffee." The difference is important; it suggests that something has changed between having a suitcase of cash and not being able to even get a cup of coffee.

from Wikipedia: "The album closer "Year of the Tiger" was written about the depression Clark experienced in 2010, the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar. Clark did not elaborate on what caused her depression" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Mercy

Annie told filter magazine that she was talking to one of her friends whom is big into chinese astronomy, and her friend told her the year of the tiger was going to be a very rough year, and she said that it was for her.

So there's that.

The writing credits include her mother which leads me to believe this is a personal story involving family. I do know there was a major event that happened around that time involving a family member and I'm fairly certain part of this, if not all of it, is about him.