In the era this lyric was penned, punk and other forms of metal rock where in a backlash against the turmoil of the 60-70s counterculture. The generation coming of age then experienced the counterculture from a younger perspective: as if listening to one's parents argue and wondering if they are going to both be alive in the morning. People who were young children, but aware of events going on, during the counterculture, naturally built up an insulating wall to protect themselves, particularly on topics such as race, gender identity, class, etc., which the counterculture struggle had been about. The generation originally listening to X in live performances were very atuned to the release and pleasure to be experienced from raw and candid expressions of what was bugging them. Thus the very raw racial epithets in this lyric have an authenicity for them.
Notice that in some singing of the lyrics (live or recorded) you can almost hear "cross the date line" as both or either "cross the Orange County line" and "cross the color line". Both had resonance as it relates the racial angst a mostly white punk set in Los Angeles.
In many ways the protagonist of this lyric is dealing with her feelings of distress and confusion about race that were very typical for the generation coming of age immediately after the death of the counterculture, and what was envigorating about these lyrics in part is the very fact of candidly using epithets that expressed the sense of unease this generation felt about all topics of race, etc, that reminded them of the counterculture struggle going on that they were old enought to witness with horror but too young to actually be part of.
In the era this lyric was penned, punk and other forms of metal rock where in a backlash against the turmoil of the 60-70s counterculture. The generation coming of age then experienced the counterculture from a younger perspective: as if listening to one's parents argue and wondering if they are going to both be alive in the morning. People who were young children, but aware of events going on, during the counterculture, naturally built up an insulating wall to protect themselves, particularly on topics such as race, gender identity, class, etc., which the counterculture struggle had been about. The generation originally listening to X in live performances were very atuned to the release and pleasure to be experienced from raw and candid expressions of what was bugging them. Thus the very raw racial epithets in this lyric have an authenicity for them.
Notice that in some singing of the lyrics (live or recorded) you can almost hear "cross the date line" as both or either "cross the Orange County line" and "cross the color line". Both had resonance as it relates the racial angst a mostly white punk set in Los Angeles.
In many ways the protagonist of this lyric is dealing with her feelings of distress and confusion about race that were very typical for the generation coming of age immediately after the death of the counterculture, and what was envigorating about these lyrics in part is the very fact of candidly using epithets that expressed the sense of unease this generation felt about all topics of race, etc, that reminded them of the counterculture struggle going on that they were old enought to witness with horror but too young to actually be part of.