This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Get out the crane, construction time again
What is it this time?
We're laying a pipeline
Let the beads of sweat flow till the ends have met though
Could take a long time
Working on the pipeline
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
On this golden day, work's been sent our way
That could last a lifetime
Working on the pipeline
From the heart of our land to the mouth of the man
Must reach him sometime
We're laying a pipeline
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
What is it this time?
We're laying a pipeline
Let the beads of sweat flow till the ends have met though
Could take a long time
Working on the pipeline
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
On this golden day, work's been sent our way
That could last a lifetime
Working on the pipeline
From the heart of our land to the mouth of the man
Must reach him sometime
We're laying a pipeline
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
The key part is
"Taking from the greedy Giving to the needy"
That is the only parts which reveals intentions.
"Taking" is redistribution of wealth by other means than consent.
"Greedy" and "needy" is subjective but should realistically mean that does that have less will receive from those who hoard wealth.
"Pipeline" is not to be taken literary. I can be any mean with which you can fulfil the quoted two lines. It can be an organisation, a mean of transport, subversive activity on the Internet or in papers, ethermedia, or why not the sack and the crowbar of the sterotype burglar.
@JASGripen you're right to say 'greedy' and 'needy' is subjective. The issue is building a pipeline might temporarily involve needy workers, but generally speaking, the fruit of the pipeline (the resource that flows through it) benefits the greedy. Lands have been destroyed because of such pipelines. <br /> <br /> Whether this was as much of a talking point in 1983 as it is now is also an interesting thing to think about. I tried to find a history of pipeline disputes and the most I come up with is Standing Rock, which took place 33 years after this song was released. <br /> <br /> That said, I still think the pipeline, and whoever ordered its construction, is the antagonist in the song.
There is an idea of equality of the people which speaks through the song. It used to be that every man is equal to the nature, but civilisation deformed these norms giving more to some people and less to the others. That is why we can see multimillionaires who can afford to have anything and on the other hand people who doesn’t have access to any basic goods such as a water. Moreover, the world is going to the situations where the rich people earns money through exploitation of the goods which could help the people who really needs it. The author noticed that the critical moment for the world has come and we have to lead the world to the balance which is presented symbolically as the pipeline – we can take away from the greedy and give to the people who really needs it. It’s not easy, it’s rather impossible and could take more than someone’s life.
This song is SOOOOOOOOOO communist! To me its sort of paraphrasing the ideals of socialism.
Sadly, you say that like it's a bad thing. :(
This song is penultimate example of Depeche Mode's experimentation with sampling everyday sounds and constructing them into a viable tune. Some of the sounds heard are kicking a vacuum cleaner (the loud thud that repeats throughout), dragging a piece of metal across a rail, and dropping a ping-pong ball. The group continued to use samples to create their music but in future releases, the sounds would be manipulated and massaged such that the original source is unrecognizable.
I'm not sure, but you'd think that this song is about laying a water pipeline somewhere people are in need of it (like a 3rd world country or something?). But maybe that's just too obvious and they mean something totally else, you can never tell with DM, which is what makes them so great ;)