Big Sister's Clothes Lyrics
All your sons and daughters in a strangle hold with a kid glove
She's got eyes like saucers oh you think she's a dish
She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish
Chorus:
But it's easier to say "I love you,"
than "Yours sincerly" I suppose
All little sisters like to try on big sister's clothes
Big sister's clothes
The prince in darkness stole some tart
And it's in the papers, it's in the charts
It's in the stop press before it all starts.
With all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments
Compassion went out of fashion
That's all your concern meant
Sweat it out for thirty seconds on home improvements
The prince in darkness stole some tart
And it's in the papers, it's in the charts
It's in the stop press before it all starts.
I can't believe no one comments on these gems by Elvis. "The Right Spectacle" DVD has him performing this live on Swedish TV. Sweating like a pig in a sweater.
Clearly he seems to be commenting on a woman that has no feeling - "with all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments" and "Compassion went out of fashion" indicates that he thought she was a "dish" but she is cold. She doesn't like sex - she "sweats it out for thirty seconds". The area I haven't figured out is what the big sister has to do with it yet. The song "Big Sister" seems to mention that the younger sister does what the older sister does or maybe, she is flirting with Elvis as a jealousy thing. Happened to me --younger sister flirts with older sister's boyfriend. Maybe the song is about the guy that is attracted to the younger sister...."she is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish" (older sister). Great melody!
As well as being about the Falklands it is also a comment on the proliferation of nuclear arms -
"She is the blue chip that belongs to the big fish" "All little sisters like to try on big sister's clothes Big sister's clothes" "With all the style and finesse of the purchase of armaments"
Countries wanting to build their own nuclear bombs
"Sweat it out for thirty seconds on home improvements" "It's in the stop press before it all starts"
The reality of this proliferation
This is a political song about Maggie Thacher.
I can't explain it, but EC himself wrote it in response to the Falklands. The BBC version has it paired with "Stand Down Margret".