Thrift Shop

I think the song is about the current state of today's youth and society. Everyone cares about who has what and how much did it cost. It is exemplified in the last passage before the end by:

"They be like, 'Oh, that Gucci, that’s hella tight!' I’m like, 'Yo, that’s 50 dollars for a t-shirt' Limited edition, let’s do some simple addition 50 dollars for a t-shirt, that’s just some ignorant bitch (sheeeeit) I call that getting swindled and pimped (sheeeeit) I call that getting tricked by a business"

I believe (in my opinion) it also encourages people to dress however they want, what they want and don't look at the materialistic side of things. Even thrift stores can be cool you know? ;)

its about how you can look good wearing what you want, you don't need a bunch of money and you dont have to wear gucci or prada or the pinkys up brands too look good, he can rock a $20 outfit while other rappers wear 50000000 dollar clothes

The meaning of this song is fairly straightforward to me. It is first a wakeup call to the fact that people blow an unbelievable amount of money on clothes to give themselves a distinctive "style" so that they may impress others and to boost our own confidence. Because fashion trends are so subjective and always changing, people will always be tricked into giving up their money. But what people are really starving for the most is self-differentiation and coming up with an entirely new style to set themselves apart from the masses. Macklemore suggests that you might be able to do just that by being creative at the thrift shop. You could have just as good a shot at getting laid in that interesting 99 cent shirt as one of those $50 douchebag shirts they sell at places like The Buckle. This song essentially flips the bird at the concept that one has to spend a lot of money to put together an interesting style. The song also reminds us that you may start a new trend amongst your peers or get laughed out of the place. Like the very essence of shopping at the thrift store itself, it's hit or miss whether or not buying someone else's used stuff will actually work out.

Thrift stores are the best.

Have any of you been thrift shopping? da fuck are these answers? yea you are all right but seriously guys...

this song is all about how absolutely, positively, totally freakin awesome it feels to go thrift shopping! grabbin deals left and right! findin an actual pair of shoes and theyre NIKE SBs, FUCK YEA!! head down to the Goodwill Outlet where the video is filmed and youll find out, or youll see that you didnt bring latex gloves and walk out like "wow, he really meant it when he said it smelled like PISSSSS"

also the value village on cap hill is dope (also filmed), and theres a little thrift shop down the street on Union between 11th and 10th, got a pull up bar for doorways there for 5 bucks :)

This song is a rejection of overly label-conscious clothing choices. But mostly it's just funny as hell. And the video is not to be missed. Macklemore's other music takes on more serious issues such as drug abuse, but the message of image and commercialism here is also an important one.

My parents are pretty rich, and their whole life they went buying expensive shit, the best dress my mother ever bought came from a thrift shop.

My thoughts on this song: Macklemore is trying to say that kids these days are so critical on others which makes people feel they need to buy the latest clothes and the most expensive sneakers. When the little girl voice comes on and says: is that your grandmas coat? Hahaha, this is macklemore using social commentary to criticize the youth for making fun of eachother when someone wears something that is not "in". Just my thoughts.

I believe this song mocks the mentality of todays youth; that the value of their cloths refelects the value of their person. The speaker is saying that you don't need to spend a lot of money to find cloths that look nice. You shouldn't spend money for the sake of spending money and give in to greedy bussinesses that trick you into thinking that you need a product. The song also implies that no matter how gawdy the cloths he wears are, people will always complement him because he is a famous rapper and he makes weird styles cool. The speaker is mocking impressionable people.

If you're actually truly looking for the meaning to this song, you're reading way too much into it. It's basically a joke. Making light of being broke and trying to fit in with kids who buy super expensive nice clothes. That is literally all there is to it.