Lyric discussion by azkm 

Cover art for Throw Your Hatred Down lyrics by Neil Young

The lines, "There but for circumstance May go you or I Dressed in gold lame Find a place to stay" seem to be referring to Phil Ochs, who wrote the folk-rock song "There But for Fortune". He felt that the liberal causes he espoused needed a popular champion in the mould of Elvis Presley, and took to performing rock n roll in a gold lamé suit. The attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, as his music failed to make an impression on the regular small-town folk to whom he was trying to expose his radical views.

I don't know what meaning the reference has in this song.

My Interpretation