These lyrics are metaphoric. I see this song as saying that the dream life is something invented by the man [the control machine] in that having the flash car, the house in the country, the sexy wife, the beautiful children is just what is expected of you. That what we regard as a beautiful future is really just a conformist expectation and a burden. You are not free. You are being controlled by being expected to strive to live a high end lifestyle as your goal. You're only free to buy the things you can't afford means that people get trapped into trying to maintain a certain standard of consumption whether they can afford it or not. The references to the gas chamber, electric chair and noose means that you are trapped in your dream life and for many it is a prison where they struggle to keep up but all that shows on the outside is the Norman Rockwell scene of suburban perfection. This band regards the dream life as being superficial, similar to the backlash against yuppies in the 80s who were seen as being vain and materialistic.
These lyrics are metaphoric. I see this song as saying that the dream life is something invented by the man [the control machine] in that having the flash car, the house in the country, the sexy wife, the beautiful children is just what is expected of you. That what we regard as a beautiful future is really just a conformist expectation and a burden. You are not free. You are being controlled by being expected to strive to live a high end lifestyle as your goal. You're only free to buy the things you can't afford means that people get trapped into trying to maintain a certain standard of consumption whether they can afford it or not. The references to the gas chamber, electric chair and noose means that you are trapped in your dream life and for many it is a prison where they struggle to keep up but all that shows on the outside is the Norman Rockwell scene of suburban perfection. This band regards the dream life as being superficial, similar to the backlash against yuppies in the 80s who were seen as being vain and materialistic.
I'm sure Bobby Gillespie was hating the "dead heart of the control machine" when he accepted his latest advance check from the studio.
I'm sure Bobby Gillespie was hating the "dead heart of the control machine" when he accepted his latest advance check from the studio.