Mrs. Vandebilt

this song is awesome. great bass!

This song is a slam against the establishment. "I have plenty of time of my own", Time is money and money is time. He chooses to live outside of the rat race, he has risen above everything that the wealthy elites would have as a paradigm for us to live within. This song means more to me than ever before, as the billionaire class in 2024 believe that their money can buy the control of the world. I believe otherwise. They have gone too far into immorality and dictatorial control over society in the western world. This will be put on pause for a time. At least in the United States. I see one more generation before the tribulation begins for real. Not all, but most of the billionaire class of society are evil and rotten to the core and will eventually take control of the world for a short time. Afterward, they will be destroyed and peace will return to our world.

like a hobo...when you have nothing, you've got nothing to worry/hurry about.

I prefer the live version on Good Evening New York City. He sings "What's the use of worryIN'?" instead of "What's the the use of worryING?" and it flows much better.

My take on this song is a man speaking to the wealthy class that he doesn't need any of their money, he doesn't want to have anything to do with them or their world. Happiness does not come from wealth and far too many people believe otherwise, but this man knows better. He would rather live poor than working himself to death as a cog in the machine of the elites.

My take is that this sums up his experience trying to make an album in Lagos, where the studio was ramshackle and he was at one point robbed by five armed men.

Having been to Africa, I can see the attitude of the people summed up quite well. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with this attitude as you don't worry and life rolls on without the fretting. On the other hand, things don't get done. You live in a tent in the jungle, your electricity hardly works, no one is ever on time because no ones care about what time it is. Macca is left asking, 'what's the use of anything' with this attitude? He certainly wouldn't be the musician he is if he thought like that.

In this context Vanderbilt is a reference to the Dutch colonials and slavery. Mrs. Venderbilt is asking the natives to do things, but they don't want to 'I've got plenty of time of my own'. This might be a bit of a stretch, but perhaps then Washington is a reference to the US and its history of slavery, the consequences of this attitude was slavery, and the refrain changes to 'I've done plenty of time'?

In summary, I think Macca was just really pissed off with Lagos and his experiences there and was venting in this song :)