7 Meanings
Add Yours
Share
Q&A

Ping Pong Lyrics

it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown
how the economical cycle tends to revolve
in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more

bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery

you see the recovery always comes 'round again
there's nothing to worry for things will look after themselves
it's alright recovery always comes 'round again
there's nothing to worry if things can only get better

there's only millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents
there's only millions that die in their bloody wars, it's alright

it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing

it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown
how the economical cycle tends to revolve
in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more

bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery

don't worry be happy things will get better naturally
don't worry shut up sit down go with it and be happy

dum, dum, dum, de dum dum, de duh de duh de dum dum dum... ah ah
dum, dum, dum, de dum dum, de duh de duh de dum dum dum... ah ah
Questions and Answers

Ask specific questions and get answers to unlock more indepth meanings & facts.

7 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

What a nice pop song, and its about the failures of capitalist society.

@matthewsheffield "the failures of capitalist society" socialism = economic chaos, anarchy of production, shortages, waiting lines, hoarding, rationing, aristocratic privilege for leaders, mass misery for masses, tyranny, totalitarian dictatorship, exploitation, forced/slave labor, terrorism, mass murder, mass impoverishment, black markets

statist central planning + narrow statist political incentives and decisions + statist bureaucratic management + state ownership & state control + statist monopoly = shortages + economic chaos + destruction + inefficiencies + waste + malinvestment + capital decumulation = disaster & catastrophe & misery

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

yep!

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

Pop anthem for a nation sliding into decadence and economic chaos. The Weimar republic. Spain before the Civil War. Greece right now. Polarization and despair. Bush did it to us. Obama did it worse. They all play dialectic/consensus to keep themselves in power.No hope in leaders from the professional political class. They have altogether become worthless. Laissez-Faire military-industrial fascism.

No hope apart from divine intervention. Ping Pong. Thesis vs. Antithesis = Entropy Good luck and good night...

@NomadMonad You had me at "Entropy"

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

The great irony is that poor economies all across the globe are the result of socialism, not capitalism.

Take a look at Greece, Spain, etc.

They are all socialist countires.

The capitalist countries are doing much better. Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand.

My Opinion

@JamesLove Those countries are struggling at the moment due to the GFC, which is exactly what this songs about- bigger crashes etc. I actually know people who've moved from Singapore because of the relentless and exhausting work hours. The countries that seem to prosper best have careful mixed the two. I'd rather be an ordinary person in Finland or France than Hong Kong. BTW Australia in common with NZ & Switzerland have considerable government intervention and support for the population- what Americans would probably call "socialism".

@JamesLove The GFC was caused by government intervention. For example, the United States made the politically correct by intellectually incorrect move of forcing banks to deadbeats. The deadbeats predictably defaulted. The idiotic socialist naturally blamed the banks.

Singapore is in much better financial shape than Finland and France which are bankrupt. While Australia, NZ and Switzerland have government intervention, they have less than the US and considerably less problems than the socialist darling countries of Europe such as Greece.

As for the Scandinavian countries that Bernie Sanders loves: 1) They were better off decades ago before they went socialist. 2) Scandinavians are...

@JamesLove Fair enough, point made. Now run along like a good capitalist and listen to Justin Bieber, Kanye or some such.

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

I love their lyrics, their existence is a oxymoron: a, essentially, pop band that experimented... A band with critic lyrics that sounds pop.

Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab
Cover art for Ping Pong lyrics by Stereolab

the breadth and depths of peoples world knowledge continuse to stun me.