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Nice Things Lyrics
Western wall's a jumbo screen
At the gate, there's an automated teller machine
Sir, empty your pockets, please
Before you file through
The king and queen foreclosed on their crowns
The joker laughed and made his rounds
He was drunk, carrying on, self-satisfied
Western walls are closing in
Are you happy, sane?
Are you rich, are you thin?
Dreaming their dreams?
Singing songs of another time?
Is your gold so strangely acquired?
Has your name become known and desired?
Have you degenerated?
Are you running out of time?
Do you want nice things?
Sure, you do
Do you call your nice things your own?
Do you want nice things?
Sure, you do
Do you call nice things your own?
Do you want them?
Do you want to feel safe?
Climb the wall before the fall
No one is waiting for you
At the gate, there's an automated teller machine
Sir, empty your pockets, please
Before you file through
The king and queen foreclosed on their crowns
The joker laughed and made his rounds
He was drunk, carrying on, self-satisfied
Are you happy, sane?
Are you rich, are you thin?
Dreaming their dreams?
Singing songs of another time?
Is your gold so strangely acquired?
Has your name become known and desired?
Have you degenerated?
Are you running out of time?
Sure, you do
Do you call your nice things your own?
Do you want nice things?
Sure, you do
Do you call nice things your own?
Do you want to feel safe?
Climb the wall before the fall
No one is waiting for you
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I think that this is a scathing attack on materialism and also the collapse of wealth in America. The first 7 lines are about the decrease in riches of the very rich, though their loss is superficial and somewhat meaningless. Yet, the joker is self satisfied even though he has lost everything..I don't really know who he's supposed to represent, possibly the ideal? Western Walls closing in is definitely about the collapse of the West, trying to show that we're going to be trapped. This is shown again by the last few lines where he says 'climb the wall before the fall', though even here it means that you can try and escape but 'no one is waiting for you'. He's saying that this is the end for the West, whose 'gold [is] so strangely acquired'. The materialism bits and the criticism of excess and unnecessary wealth comes in the middle, where he calls the very rich 'degenerated...running out of time?'. The use of 'Nice Things' is meant to trivialise the wealth and money; the assets which the rich have acquired at the expense of everybody else in order to show how unnecessary they actually are.
@fecklesswaster I actually have a different interpretation. To me this song is about trading away your own things to get into a show. Its tounge and cheek on capitalism, but it’s also speaking to giving up your things, that are your own, would be bad. If you want to feel safe, follow the rules “the king and queen foreclosed on their crowns” is an acceptance that the old ways are over so this is a correct lifestyle. While in reality, you climb the wall, before the fall. No one is there to save you because this path was paved with...
@fecklesswaster I actually have a different interpretation. To me this song is about trading away your own things to get into a show. Its tounge and cheek on capitalism, but it’s also speaking to giving up your things, that are your own, would be bad. If you want to feel safe, follow the rules “the king and queen foreclosed on their crowns” is an acceptance that the old ways are over so this is a correct lifestyle. While in reality, you climb the wall, before the fall. No one is there to save you because this path was paved with good intentions, but it’s actually the end.