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Cynical Bastards Lyrics
Now, I don't disagree --
It's a hell of a scene.
Jackson Square dropouts:
Avoid the police.
If the '80s were tough,
The '90s were mean.
All that was left for the desperate
Were these fax cash machines.
And that easy money
Never has anything.
With that kind of juice, man,
It ain't worth the squeeze.
But month by month,
I feel a change in the breeze,
So stop moving on;
Make your own history.
Now, if you want me to boil it down,
All you cynical bastards,
Get out of town.
Now, if you want me to boil it down,
All you cynical bastards,
Move a little faster.
But some people can't shake
The weight of the past.
Some people's hearts
Remain at half-mast.
It's downtown
Where it all intersects.
Some came from the mountain;
College kids from the west.
Not every suit lies
Right through the teeth,
There's good and there's bad
And there's some in between.
As I wait for the bus
Coming from the east,
The generations are proud
And your elbow grease.
I understand
If it's all a bit much.
It's a bit of a circus;
It's a little bit rough.
I heard this place
Was run by the mob,
Buying everyone off
Down at city hall.
And those Oakville moms,
They stick up their nose.
Those Burlington dads
Keep their dollars at home.
If you're the kind with nothing to say,
You heard about this party,
But you're praying for rain.
Move a little faster.
It's a hell of a scene.
Jackson Square dropouts:
Avoid the police.
If the '80s were tough,
The '90s were mean.
All that was left for the desperate
Were these fax cash machines.
Never has anything.
With that kind of juice, man,
It ain't worth the squeeze.
But month by month,
I feel a change in the breeze,
So stop moving on;
Make your own history.
All you cynical bastards,
Get out of town.
Now, if you want me to boil it down,
All you cynical bastards,
Move a little faster.
The weight of the past.
Some people's hearts
Remain at half-mast.
It's downtown
Where it all intersects.
Some came from the mountain;
College kids from the west.
Right through the teeth,
There's good and there's bad
And there's some in between.
As I wait for the bus
Coming from the east,
The generations are proud
And your elbow grease.
If it's all a bit much.
It's a bit of a circus;
It's a little bit rough.
I heard this place
Was run by the mob,
Buying everyone off
Down at city hall.
They stick up their nose.
Those Burlington dads
Keep their dollars at home.
If you're the kind with nothing to say,
You heard about this party,
But you're praying for rain.
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Pure and simple, this is a song about the city in which the Arkells met: Hamilton, Ontario.
Jackson Square is the large downtown mall, housing the city's main library and farmer's market (as well as the title of their first album). "Fast cash machines" is about the prevalence of payday lenders around the mall and how they prey on the vulnerable in the city.
The second stanza is about observations made while waiting for public transit. Most of the city's bus routes circle the mall, making it an important transit hub ("It's downtown where it all intersects"). "Some came down from the mountain" refers to the geological feature - the Niagara Escarpment - that runs through the city, creating a lower downtown and an upper city called "The Hamilton Mountain".
"College kids from the west" refers to the bands' alma mater, McMaster University on the western edge of the city. The singer - Max Kerman - is waiting for a bus heading in that direction, singing "As I wait for the bus coming from the east, There's generations of pride and elbow grease", referencing the industrial eastern end of the city that's deeply proud of its roots, but also rather economically-disadvantaged.
The third stanza references the city's perception, both internally and externally. "I heard this place was run by the mob, Buying everyone off down at city hall" references the long-standing belief among people in the city that local politicians are corrupt, with a large organized crime element in the city (the infamous Musitano and Papalia Families) once terrorizing local residents with restaurant bombings and intimidation.
References to "Oakville moms" and "Burlington dads" talks about the wealthy communities between Hamilton and Toronto that have a negative perception of the city, associating it with the crime and industry of the past. While the city has been changing dramatically over the past two decades, there are still those who denigrate Hamilton, characterized by the lines "If you're the kind with nothing to say, You heard about this party, but you're praying for rain."