40 Mark Strasse Lyrics

Lyric discussion by iluvyougoldenblue 

Cover art for 40 Mark Strasse lyrics by Shins, The

i think it's definitely about prostitutes. "you BLOW like a broken kite", "my mother says you're dirty, they're gonna find you dead", "you play in the streets at night", "i wanted something from you", "your father's second home" (as in sleeping with older men at motels). also 40 marks i believe is german currency? so kinda like $40 street. it's gotta be about hookers.

The girl might be a prostitute, but your interpretation of "you blow like a broken kite" is a bit of a stretch; explicitly referring to a blowjob doesn't exactly seem like Mercer's style, and even if "blow" meant "blowjob" in this case, what does a blowjob like a broken kite feel like? More likely, he means that she floats around, with no stability or place in the world; she isn't grounded, because her parents can't provide that for her, and she hasn't yet learned to make her own way.

I also think that when...

"she means his father's" should be "he means her father's" above. I'm so used to having an edit feature...