Just for clarification, Punch & Judy is originally Italian. It became popular among the vulgar lower class in the Middle Ages. Wikipedia compares it to an early version of the Simpsons; its goal was to affect shocked laughter among its audiences.
What I find most interesting about this song is the sense of theatricality. I don't think they're "so self-absorbed that they think everyone else is just as interested in their drama as they are," or that the couple in the song is anyone other than the literal Punch & Judy. Instead, it seems almost that Punch & Judy seem aware of the fact that their relationship was being watched - as if they know they're participants in a drama. The line "in a crowded corner where anyone can listen in" shows the public nature of their relationship, and the line "now they're going to go say the words in the wrong order again" seems to show they're perfectly aware of being actors on a stage. It also seems Elliot Smith is making a comment on the current unpopularity of Punch and Judy: "they draw the curtain/ wait for a call/pretty lucky if they get any response at all."
As for the line "can't you ever be nice," this is pretty obvious given the nature of Punch & Judy shows, where Punch beats Judy as well as the Baby and even occasionally the policeman.
However, I can't quite figure out the narrator's place in all this.
Just for clarification, Punch & Judy is originally Italian. It became popular among the vulgar lower class in the Middle Ages. Wikipedia compares it to an early version of the Simpsons; its goal was to affect shocked laughter among its audiences.
What I find most interesting about this song is the sense of theatricality. I don't think they're "so self-absorbed that they think everyone else is just as interested in their drama as they are," or that the couple in the song is anyone other than the literal Punch & Judy. Instead, it seems almost that Punch & Judy seem aware of the fact that their relationship was being watched - as if they know they're participants in a drama. The line "in a crowded corner where anyone can listen in" shows the public nature of their relationship, and the line "now they're going to go say the words in the wrong order again" seems to show they're perfectly aware of being actors on a stage. It also seems Elliot Smith is making a comment on the current unpopularity of Punch and Judy: "they draw the curtain/ wait for a call/pretty lucky if they get any response at all."
As for the line "can't you ever be nice," this is pretty obvious given the nature of Punch & Judy shows, where Punch beats Judy as well as the Baby and even occasionally the policeman.
However, I can't quite figure out the narrator's place in all this.