Bang Bang Bang

We create poverty. We sell an image of masculenity and strength. We keep the poor poor and give them drugs and alcohol to anesthetise (sp?) them. At the same time, we sell a "bad boy" image. People then give this man anything he wants to keep him happy so that he leaves them alone. If he still comes after them, they blame him for his lifestyle. They'll kill him and say that he desrved it.... "problem solved" - He is dead. If however, he only robs and murders other poor black people, others consider it a favor because its less for them to deal with. We force poverty on people and then wonder why they get violent. The cycle repeats itself, yet no one figures it out. In the meanwhile people are dying. Before we have learned to love and drop our prejudices, more violence happens. This is a song about classism, racism, and a never ending cycle of violence.

It can't be just about gun control...Verses like "If he wants the chances that you took from him" ..won't make no sense, and Tracy Chapman's words ALWAYS make sense!!

It makes me think of how my parents mistreated me as a kid, but stopped once I learned to stand up to them. Now they buy me anything I want pretending like we get along. I spend all the money on drugs to hide from my anger, but it's not solving anything. In fact, even the handouts upset me now. I want off drugs, but what will happen when I no longer want anything they own? Will there be enough stones to throw?

To me, these lyrics are all about a powerful nation controlling a poor country by arming them on which ever pretext; Civil strife, overthrow of corrupt governments or protection against another powerful nation. Once this has been achieved however, this poor country finds its own way and comes back to bite you. IE: Afghanistan and the Taliban.

This song is about miseducation and how uncompassionate people can be

To me, this is simply about gun control. You give the troubled kid a chance to own a gun, or have access to a gun, and bad things will happen.