Here's what I've got:
The girl in the song comes from a working-class family, but she dated (or was pursued by) a wealthy man. When she tried to cut him out of her life, he took a sort of "back door" to staying involved with her by befriending her family. The first few lines make me think of her coming home one day and being introduced to him by her mother. The reference to him as "your brother" sounds like Christian imagery, which it might be, since Regina has worked some of that into other songs, but it could just be a reference to how her family has embraced him. He's largely buying their acceptance, or that's what I'm getting out of the line "he’s got enough money to buy a new father." Her family really wants to impress him, since they feel priveledged to get his attention, and they remind their daughter that "he’s got enough money to bother somebody else". The "solder two wires together" line is probably a reference to him trying to forge a bond with her, but it's also loaded with a lot of working-class imagery. It makes me think of her father or mother (or both) as a tradesperson. "Remember that mouthful you spat in his mouthful" - I think she really gave him a peice of her mind, a "mouthful", telling him how much she dislikes him. "They say he’s corrupted but quite well-respected. He’s got lots of money, we all really like him." This makes me think of a politician or a public figure - corrupt but with more respect than he knows what to do with. He's so used to being fawned over that her rejection really irks him. I think her musings "I don’t know what I'm doing still here, they must have done such a very very good job" are her thoughts as she wonders why she puts up with her parents' naivete.
The chorus perplexed me for a long time, and it still does a little bit. The best interpretation I have is that it is a reference to their past relationship - that it was dangerous or destructive, and she was just lucky that "no one was hurt". They "ran through a stoplight", and the only reason they survived it unscathed is because "they were on foot", as in they weren't serious enough or emotionally invested enough yet to be hurt. It was a dangerous relationship that she was lucky not to be hurt by, and then smart enough to bail. But given the fact that everyone appears to have survived their past unscathed, her parents figure it's okay to stay close with this guy. I kind of imagine that maybe "scarecrow" is a childhood nickname for her, and "fungus" is a reference to him, since he isn't painted in a very flattering way in the story.
Just my take, any thoughts?
Here's what I've got: The girl in the song comes from a working-class family, but she dated (or was pursued by) a wealthy man. When she tried to cut him out of her life, he took a sort of "back door" to staying involved with her by befriending her family. The first few lines make me think of her coming home one day and being introduced to him by her mother. The reference to him as "your brother" sounds like Christian imagery, which it might be, since Regina has worked some of that into other songs, but it could just be a reference to how her family has embraced him. He's largely buying their acceptance, or that's what I'm getting out of the line "he’s got enough money to buy a new father." Her family really wants to impress him, since they feel priveledged to get his attention, and they remind their daughter that "he’s got enough money to bother somebody else". The "solder two wires together" line is probably a reference to him trying to forge a bond with her, but it's also loaded with a lot of working-class imagery. It makes me think of her father or mother (or both) as a tradesperson. "Remember that mouthful you spat in his mouthful" - I think she really gave him a peice of her mind, a "mouthful", telling him how much she dislikes him. "They say he’s corrupted but quite well-respected. He’s got lots of money, we all really like him." This makes me think of a politician or a public figure - corrupt but with more respect than he knows what to do with. He's so used to being fawned over that her rejection really irks him. I think her musings "I don’t know what I'm doing still here, they must have done such a very very good job" are her thoughts as she wonders why she puts up with her parents' naivete. The chorus perplexed me for a long time, and it still does a little bit. The best interpretation I have is that it is a reference to their past relationship - that it was dangerous or destructive, and she was just lucky that "no one was hurt". They "ran through a stoplight", and the only reason they survived it unscathed is because "they were on foot", as in they weren't serious enough or emotionally invested enough yet to be hurt. It was a dangerous relationship that she was lucky not to be hurt by, and then smart enough to bail. But given the fact that everyone appears to have survived their past unscathed, her parents figure it's okay to stay close with this guy. I kind of imagine that maybe "scarecrow" is a childhood nickname for her, and "fungus" is a reference to him, since he isn't painted in a very flattering way in the story. Just my take, any thoughts?
It kind of seems to me as if this is a longer, more detailed interpretation of Idontknowme's post. Hm... suspicious...
It kind of seems to me as if this is a longer, more detailed interpretation of Idontknowme's post. Hm... suspicious...