The narrator hasn't got a penny to his name and lives from one day to the next with no possessions or a place to call his own, hopping on and off trains and travelling the country. But he loves his lifestyle, there is no bitterness and he isn't looking for sympathy, just maybe a cigarette or a bite to eat and somewhere to crash for the night, but if he doesn't get it, no bother, he can take care of himself, he knows how to beg, borrow and steal.
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that...
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that mean? An illiterate individual living in the 3rd century may consider their particular life both satisfactory and enjoyable but would likely welcome the benefits of current, more effective and less dangerous pain medications that wouldn't be developed for hundreds of years into the future. The question is always there -- and some people may refuse the ability to read, write, cure disease, etc. even after having been given the choice(s), but we wouldn't necessarily label that person as 'taking care of themself'.
The narrator hasn't got a penny to his name and lives from one day to the next with no possessions or a place to call his own, hopping on and off trains and travelling the country. But he loves his lifestyle, there is no bitterness and he isn't looking for sympathy, just maybe a cigarette or a bite to eat and somewhere to crash for the night, but if he doesn't get it, no bother, he can take care of himself, he knows how to beg, borrow and steal.
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that...
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that mean? An illiterate individual living in the 3rd century may consider their particular life both satisfactory and enjoyable but would likely welcome the benefits of current, more effective and less dangerous pain medications that wouldn't be developed for hundreds of years into the future. The question is always there -- and some people may refuse the ability to read, write, cure disease, etc. even after having been given the choice(s), but we wouldn't necessarily label that person as 'taking care of themself'.