Ink Stains (All the Holocaust Deniers) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by sheela_l 

Cover art for Ink Stains (All the Holocaust Deniers) lyrics by Regina Spektor

I wonder if Regina wrote this in response to the shooting of the security guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. All the frustration at deniers coming out from learning about the incident. Deniers who have comfortable lives while spewing conspiracy theories about Jews making everything up.

As for the references:

The bathhouse is a gas chamber. The soap is probably made from human fat. The haircuts happened in concentration camps. The ink stains refer to the tattoos prisoners received that were their prisoner numbers. Argentina Steakhouse and Swiss Bank gold card are signs of wealth.

"I wish they'd cure the friendly neighbors Of the disease which makes them haters"

Regina has probably encountered other people who appear agreeable, except when examined closer on their opinions of "people who are different". Nice people, but they hold hidden prejudices. Think of coming out of the closet as a homosexual in a small town (homosexuals were targeted in the Holocaust as well, remember). "American-Owned" motels.

"Argentina Steakhouse": Argentina was a haven for Nazi war criminals. A secret network was established to rescue Collaborators and Nazis from post war Europe to Argentina. Once in Argentina dictator Juan Perón's government protected them and they settled in the southern regions of the country. (See Wikipedia article "Pursuit of Nazi collaborators" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pursuit_of_Nazi_collaborators ).

"Swiss Bank Gold": During the war, the Nazis stole gold, jewelry, and other valuables from the millions of Jews they murdered. The Germans needed a way to place these commodities in the international market...

Argentina steakhouses and Swiss gold card are much more significant than simply signs of wealth:

Argentina remained neutral during WWII until early 1945, with much more government sympathy for Italy and Germany, than the side of the allies. Many Nazis, including Mengele and Eichmann fled to Argentina and sought refuge there while being pursued for war crimes, following the war.

Swiss Gold refers to the millions that were looted from Nazi victims and then invested overseas, including in the Swiss National Bank. An estimated 440 million dollars in gold was invested by the Nazis with the Swiss National Bank, of...