Linden CA is a small, insulated farming town about 20 miles east of Stockton CA, with one high school. Contrasted with Stockton, which is a larger diverse urban city, Linden is still very country and very white, with kids working on farms during the summer and football is a VERY big deal, like in other more rural areas across the country. Their mascot is, of course, the Linden Lions.
To me, this song is about that small town attitude towards high school football, that it is SO important to the community. As s7ugg1e said, it is about people not paying attention to the important things, or maybe even being able to ignore the fact that your small town is dying, and hide behind the pride of your local football team.
@stickie pants Thanks for that info. I saw a pic of Gary Young with a Linden hat on, now that is explained. For people who aren't diehard fans, malkmus and kannberg grew up in Stockton. Just in case anyone reads this.
@stickie pants Thanks for that info. I saw a pic of Gary Young with a Linden hat on, now that is explained. For people who aren't diehard fans, malkmus and kannberg grew up in Stockton. Just in case anyone reads this.
Linden CA is a small, insulated farming town about 20 miles east of Stockton CA, with one high school. Contrasted with Stockton, which is a larger diverse urban city, Linden is still very country and very white, with kids working on farms during the summer and football is a VERY big deal, like in other more rural areas across the country. Their mascot is, of course, the Linden Lions. To me, this song is about that small town attitude towards high school football, that it is SO important to the community. As s7ugg1e said, it is about people not paying attention to the important things, or maybe even being able to ignore the fact that your small town is dying, and hide behind the pride of your local football team.
@stickie pants Thanks for that info. I saw a pic of Gary Young with a Linden hat on, now that is explained. For people who aren't diehard fans, malkmus and kannberg grew up in Stockton. Just in case anyone reads this.
@stickie pants Thanks for that info. I saw a pic of Gary Young with a Linden hat on, now that is explained. For people who aren't diehard fans, malkmus and kannberg grew up in Stockton. Just in case anyone reads this.