Haha, okay, I don't necessarily believe that this song was WRITTEN with this idea in mind, but I can't shake the impression that Thimble Island is a metaphor for being socialized as feminine (even the name of the island works: thimbles -> sewing -> girly stuff). Girls don't return from that murky mystery place because once you've been successfully programmed to act and look the way society dictates, it gets harder and harder to drop the Cosmos, turn off Sex and the City, leave the house without makeup on, etc., because of the rewards you get for adhering to gender norms and the subtle punishments that you get for breaking them. Anybody who has ever suddenly taken an interest in fashion and makeup has probably noticed that other women who share such interests become easier to befriend and, notably, that men display more attraction... which leads to why you'd go on down to Thimble Island to find your true love there, yes? And of course, various "charms" matter much more than booklearnin' in the prevailing definition of femininity, so there's that too.
Haha, okay, I don't necessarily believe that this song was WRITTEN with this idea in mind, but I can't shake the impression that Thimble Island is a metaphor for being socialized as feminine (even the name of the island works: thimbles -> sewing -> girly stuff). Girls don't return from that murky mystery place because once you've been successfully programmed to act and look the way society dictates, it gets harder and harder to drop the Cosmos, turn off Sex and the City, leave the house without makeup on, etc., because of the rewards you get for adhering to gender norms and the subtle punishments that you get for breaking them. Anybody who has ever suddenly taken an interest in fashion and makeup has probably noticed that other women who share such interests become easier to befriend and, notably, that men display more attraction... which leads to why you'd go on down to Thimble Island to find your true love there, yes? And of course, various "charms" matter much more than booklearnin' in the prevailing definition of femininity, so there's that too.