Loyal Like Sid and Nancy Lyrics
Parading to the masses, we're coming so fresh to death
I've been stealing looks from shadows you conjure with your purse
Yeah, you're walking in stilettos, but your nose is bleeding out
I've been running from the devil, but the devil's on my back
I'm decreasing, took a leave of absence from the war
If the wall is coming down, then we gotta press the pedal
Got my hands up in the air, I'm saying I can't breathe
I got my hands up in the air, I'm saying
Hey, man, get away from me
Yeah, hey, man, get away from me
Yeah, oh
Never ask for any favours, nothing I want from you
I've been looking for an answer to keep me from falling through
But I'm waiting for the voice to speak, 'cause I can't see
I hope we'll hear the sound eventually
I felt their claws obstruct and refuse refugees in the new Rome
Lock our voices in the oven like s-Sylvia at home
My eyes are on the world, and my hands anxious to feel something real
True colours tend to glisten and then reveal
Where's the love?
And why are we so far from love?
Push the dagger when it's right
Martial law, inshallah, mi casa es tuya
Ghosting like I'm Daniel Johnston, and I'm locked up in the basement
Where Satan lies in satin tweets and realigns his facelift
The criminals are laughing with their empty, toothless faces
We melted all our gold to recommence our idol worship
We all pretend one day we'll be the greatest of the Gatsbys
Growling mouths with rabies and loyal like Sid and Nancy
Hey, man, get away from me
You pretend you got control
Hey, man, get away from me
I never asked for any favours, nothing I want from you
Well, I've been praying for an answer to keep me from falling through
Yeah, I'm waiting for the voice to speak, 'cause I can't see
Oh, we'll hear the sound eventually
We'll hear the sound, we'll hear the sound eventually
I listen to this song daily, so I just had to dig around for some answers to the cultural references involved. So here's some of what I've found, some inferences I've made, and some interpretation:
"I felt their claws obstruct and refuse refugees in the new Rome Lock our voices in the oven like s-Sylvia at home."
Foster mentioned he worked a lot at finding the right way to mention America's refusal of Syrian refugees. Sylvia is Sylvia Plath, a poet who committed suicide by putting her head in an oven. (I interpret this line as frustration with the government's disinterest in listening to the cry of its people, but that could be just me.)
"Chased by badges, ducking lights,"
Probably an allusion to Black Lives Matter and racial tensions with respect to the police force.
"Martial law, inshallah, mi casa es tuya."
Inshallah means "if God wills it," and the Spanish translates to "my house is yours."
"Ghosting like I'm Daniel Johnston, and I'm locked up in the basement."
Daniel Johnston is an alternative songwritier. (I'm not sure, but I think Foster is saying here that he too often feels removed from life while he writes his music, separate from the world.)
"We all pretend one day we'll be the greatest of the Gatsbys, Growling mouths with rabies and loyal like Sid and Nancy."
I think he's saying we all pretend we'll be rich, beautiful, tragic heroes one day, with interesting and dramatic lives. When I hear "loyal like Sid and Nancy" I think of a passionate, but two-faced, back-stabbing loyalty. I haven't seen the movie, and I don't know much about Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. The gist is that Sid was the bassist of the Sex Pistols, and Nancy was a groupie turned lover. Nancy died from a stab wound in a hotel room with him, and he was charged with her murder. However, he died ODing on heroin before trial.
I'd love to hear more interpretations of any part of this song. It's quickly becoming one of my all time favorites.
I love the play on words and pop-culture references. Initial thought on the title of the song is that Sid and Nancy are not a loyal couple, so it's ironic and creative. At the end of the day it sounds like he was married to someone controlling "got my hands up in the air saying I can't breathe - hey man get away from me".