The title of the song refers to a picture of Marlene Dietrich. And clearly, the song is about a woman who has a habit of being in abusive relationships. However, there is more to it than that. As Vega writes in the chorus, "I am changing." That is the key to the song. I write about this in detail on the following webpage (I assume you will have to copy and paste the link):
Also, the line in the third verse is not "By the butcher shot [sic] with the sawdust strewn." Rather, it is, "By the butcher's shop with the sawdust strewn." Although "butcher shot" has a certain poetic beauty.
The title of the song refers to a picture of Marlene Dietrich. And clearly, the song is about a woman who has a habit of being in abusive relationships. However, there is more to it than that. As Vega writes in the chorus, "I am changing." That is the key to the song. I write about this in detail on the following webpage (I assume you will have to copy and paste the link):
http://franklycurious.com/index.php?itemid=1057
Also, the line in the third verse is not "By the butcher shot [sic] with the sawdust strewn." Rather, it is, "By the butcher's shop with the sawdust strewn." Although "butcher shot" has a certain poetic beauty.