If this is about the Birdman of Alcatraz, as a comment above said they heard Eugene Hutz claim in an interview, then the "crime" would be revenge -- "Birdman" Robert Franklin Stroud was found of guilty of manslaughter for shooting a man who had badly beaten Stroud's girlfriend. The Ivanovich/Gogol/Belinsky references make no sense in this context, though, nor does it seem clear why Hutz would care that much, based on his usual topics, which are often freedom of pleasure and movement. I share the hunch of many above that it's about drugs, immigration or consensual sex between adults and biologically mature minors. But who knows, and of course a writer's own claims of "meaning" are often not definitive. Once an artist releases art to the public, anyone may claim to know what it's about, and public reception can change meanings. In any event, I'm glad to see such spirited discussion over these lyrics. I thought it was just me and I was missing something obvious.
If this is about the Birdman of Alcatraz, as a comment above said they heard Eugene Hutz claim in an interview, then the "crime" would be revenge -- "Birdman" Robert Franklin Stroud was found of guilty of manslaughter for shooting a man who had badly beaten Stroud's girlfriend. The Ivanovich/Gogol/Belinsky references make no sense in this context, though, nor does it seem clear why Hutz would care that much, based on his usual topics, which are often freedom of pleasure and movement. I share the hunch of many above that it's about drugs, immigration or consensual sex between adults and biologically mature minors. But who knows, and of course a writer's own claims of "meaning" are often not definitive. Once an artist releases art to the public, anyone may claim to know what it's about, and public reception can change meanings. In any event, I'm glad to see such spirited discussion over these lyrics. I thought it was just me and I was missing something obvious.