Seems like an "I am woman, hear me roar" type of statement being made by the songwriter. Guess it could be aimed at a dominating husband/boyfriend, but I sort of lean towards it being a rebel yell at an overbearing mother. The "your mother's favorite dog" and "pawn to your king" might suggest the former, but a few things about the chorus suggest to me that the latter is more likely. The turns-of-phrase like "you don't mean that, say you're sorry", "I'll make you sorry", and the title phase "Now, now" are slightly antiquated, and the sing-song way they are delivered certainly suggest a parent-child interaction. I suppose a 3rd possibility is that its aimed at both.
As th0rn points out, probably the most clever part of the song is the "I'm not anything". Definitely a play on Annie Clark's first name, and perfectly fits the song's vibe. "I'm not your 'Annie, Annie, Annie, Annie' thing". On one level, a declaration that the singer is tired of being objectified and treated as an object instead of a person. On another, the delivery of the "Annie, Annie, Annie, Annie" strongly suggests mocking mimicry of singer's intended target. If you see it aimed at an overbearing mother, it could me mimicking constant nagging. However, ff you see the song as aimed at a spouse/boyfriend, it could be a mocking of the fellow in question during the throes of passion which would change the meaning of the line slightly to something more like "I'm not your plastic love doll".
Wow...I like the "rebel yell" argument. I never thought about it like that :)
Wow...I like the "rebel yell" argument. I never thought about it like that :)
When I first heard this song a couple years ago, I thought it was about some kind of horrific breakup. Maybe I was just in a depressed mood at the time, but I thought that Annie was singing about the transition from meaning everything to someone to meaning nothing at all. I think the tone of her singing adds to that. That's why she compares herself to such seemingly disconnected things. She's not the little things; his mother's pet, a feather, the carpet-- because...
When I first heard this song a couple years ago, I thought it was about some kind of horrific breakup. Maybe I was just in a depressed mood at the time, but I thought that Annie was singing about the transition from meaning everything to someone to meaning nothing at all. I think the tone of her singing adds to that. That's why she compares herself to such seemingly disconnected things. She's not the little things; his mother's pet, a feather, the carpet-- because this person has pushed her out of his life completely. She also isn't the yellow brick street or atomic bomb--even if she were to show anger or lash out, she still isn't "anything at all" to him.
I thought that the subject of the song said something particularly awful to her, which is why she says "you don't mean that, say you're sorry...I'll make you sorry," which I think is absolutely brilliant.
Seems like an "I am woman, hear me roar" type of statement being made by the songwriter. Guess it could be aimed at a dominating husband/boyfriend, but I sort of lean towards it being a rebel yell at an overbearing mother. The "your mother's favorite dog" and "pawn to your king" might suggest the former, but a few things about the chorus suggest to me that the latter is more likely. The turns-of-phrase like "you don't mean that, say you're sorry", "I'll make you sorry", and the title phase "Now, now" are slightly antiquated, and the sing-song way they are delivered certainly suggest a parent-child interaction. I suppose a 3rd possibility is that its aimed at both.
As th0rn points out, probably the most clever part of the song is the "I'm not anything". Definitely a play on Annie Clark's first name, and perfectly fits the song's vibe. "I'm not your 'Annie, Annie, Annie, Annie' thing". On one level, a declaration that the singer is tired of being objectified and treated as an object instead of a person. On another, the delivery of the "Annie, Annie, Annie, Annie" strongly suggests mocking mimicry of singer's intended target. If you see it aimed at an overbearing mother, it could me mimicking constant nagging. However, ff you see the song as aimed at a spouse/boyfriend, it could be a mocking of the fellow in question during the throes of passion which would change the meaning of the line slightly to something more like "I'm not your plastic love doll".
Wow...I like the "rebel yell" argument. I never thought about it like that :)
Wow...I like the "rebel yell" argument. I never thought about it like that :)
When I first heard this song a couple years ago, I thought it was about some kind of horrific breakup. Maybe I was just in a depressed mood at the time, but I thought that Annie was singing about the transition from meaning everything to someone to meaning nothing at all. I think the tone of her singing adds to that. That's why she compares herself to such seemingly disconnected things. She's not the little things; his mother's pet, a feather, the carpet-- because...
When I first heard this song a couple years ago, I thought it was about some kind of horrific breakup. Maybe I was just in a depressed mood at the time, but I thought that Annie was singing about the transition from meaning everything to someone to meaning nothing at all. I think the tone of her singing adds to that. That's why she compares herself to such seemingly disconnected things. She's not the little things; his mother's pet, a feather, the carpet-- because this person has pushed her out of his life completely. She also isn't the yellow brick street or atomic bomb--even if she were to show anger or lash out, she still isn't "anything at all" to him.
I thought that the subject of the song said something particularly awful to her, which is why she says "you don't mean that, say you're sorry...I'll make you sorry," which I think is absolutely brilliant.