I don't need no wheels
I don't need no gasoline
'Cause the wind that is blowing
Is blowing like a smoke machine
If I said to you
That I was looking for a place to get to
'Cause my neck is broken
And my pants ain't getting no bigger
I got a stolen wife
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
All my friends
Tell me something is getting together
I got a beard that would disappear
If I'm dressed in leather
Now let me tell you about my baby
She was born in Arizona
Sitting in the jailhouse
Trying to learn some good manners
I got a stolen wife
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
Matchsticks strike
When I'm riding my bike to the depot
'Cause everybody knows my name
At the recreation center
If I could only find a nickel
I would pay myself off tonight
'Cause nobody knows
When he good times have passed out cold
I got a stolen wife
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
I got a stolen wife
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
Don't talk to me
If you're looking for somebody to cry on
Don't talk to me
If you're looking for somebody to cry on
[scream] Ahhhowwww!!
I don't need no gasoline
'Cause the wind that is blowing
Is blowing like a smoke machine
That I was looking for a place to get to
'Cause my neck is broken
And my pants ain't getting no bigger
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
Tell me something is getting together
I got a beard that would disappear
If I'm dressed in leather
Now let me tell you about my baby
She was born in Arizona
Sitting in the jailhouse
Trying to learn some good manners
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
When I'm riding my bike to the depot
'Cause everybody knows my name
At the recreation center
If I could only find a nickel
I would pay myself off tonight
'Cause nobody knows
When he good times have passed out cold
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
And a rhinestone life
And some good ol' boys
I'm writing my will
On a three dollar bill
In the evening time
If you're looking for somebody to cry on
Don't talk to me
If you're looking for somebody to cry on
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
There are a lot of things in this song that suggest the main character is gay but not open about it. "3 dollar bill" is a euphamism, and a "beard that will disappear when I'm dressed in leather" - a beard is a woman that a guy in the closet will have to cover him so he looks straight. The song is called Sissyneck. It seems to me that the dude goes and hangs with his boys in the evening time but during the day he is with his stolen wife.
"queer as a three-dollar..."
that's the obvious part, sure. it's the other markers which are truly convincing.
all of that? only "shocking" IF you believe the narrator of every Beck song = Beck Hansen. hell "Girl" appears to be written from the POV of a serial killer. and (I hope!) we know enough not to take him literally. despite the non-linearity of the Becktionary making any conclusions a challenge.
imagine how he'd be getting tailed and interrogated by his minders at the CoS, if any of this were Real Life. yeah OK so he's the most golden boy of their their second generation: but not even Murder One is as low on the Tone Scale as homosexuality (I don't think, anyhow).
any T.C.-related riposte should be CCed in triplicate to the attorneys of Miscavige and friend.
I think smartbunny is right. cool song.
whaat the heck at the two last comments, come on guys, you can't be serious
What are you talking about? You've met Beck hundreds of times. I was there.
Interesting take, Ookie!
This song seems like it was written about small town life in a trailer park.
I'll tell you what this song is about - fuck all.
Well, my wife is a prisoner of a man who thinks he owns her. So I reckon I have a stolen wife.
I have some fairly nice things. But they're not new and not the best. They look pretty good though. Basically it's all fake. You could say it's a rhinestone life.
And my boys...Two of the best kids in the world. They really are some good ol' boys.
Their friends all know me and think I'm the shit. I am the most popular dad in the kid's school. So you could say they all know my name down at the recreation center.
I'd say that even though Beck has never met me, or had any contact with me in any way, that he somehow has had a vision of my life and felt compelled to write about it. Many of his songs are like this. I don't get it. How is it possible?
@Ookie this is because Beck writes his lyrics in a vague metaphysical kinda way that will force the interpreter to assign meaning and narrative from their own life experience in order to understand and perceive them. Sometimes that meaning will be very personal for the listener. There's like a word for this phenomenon and it kinda applies to all forms of art but I'm stoned rn and too lazy to look for it.
@Ookie this is because Beck writes his lyrics in a vague metaphysical kinda way that will force the interpreter to assign meaning and narrative from their own life experience in order to understand and perceive them. Sometimes that meaning will be very personal for the listener. There's like a word for this phenomenon and it kinda applies to all forms of art but I'm stoned rn and too lazy to look for it.