So hear me out..Yes on the surface it's about prostitution but I think there's more than meets the eye (ear?). Keep in mind this album was released in 1973. Right around that time there was a movement in San Francisco for people to purchase historic Victorian houses and paint the exteriors in multiple bright colors. These repainted houses were called "Painted Ladies" and were somewhat controversial at the time since they were historic structures.
I think this song personifies these "Painted Ladies" (houses) and make a comparison to the way people purchase, use/misuse, and eventually abandon them to the way a sailor treats a prostitute. Notice the Painted Lady has "no name" and doesn't speak, "love's just a job and nothing is said".
The first part of the song sets up the prostitution theme but it's the 4th verse that flips to the metaphor: "Forget us we'll have gone very soon. Just forget we ever slept in your rooms. And we'll leave the smell of the sea in your beds." Isn't it interesting that "rooms" and "beds" are plural? I think it's also a commentary that while they (house owner/sailor) eventually leave once they've had their way, they do leave a lasting mark.
So hear me out..Yes on the surface it's about prostitution but I think there's more than meets the eye (ear?). Keep in mind this album was released in 1973. Right around that time there was a movement in San Francisco for people to purchase historic Victorian houses and paint the exteriors in multiple bright colors. These repainted houses were called "Painted Ladies" and were somewhat controversial at the time since they were historic structures.
I think this song personifies these "Painted Ladies" (houses) and make a comparison to the way people purchase, use/misuse, and eventually abandon them to the way a sailor treats a prostitute. Notice the Painted Lady has "no name" and doesn't speak, "love's just a job and nothing is said".
The first part of the song sets up the prostitution theme but it's the 4th verse that flips to the metaphor: "Forget us we'll have gone very soon. Just forget we ever slept in your rooms. And we'll leave the smell of the sea in your beds." Isn't it interesting that "rooms" and "beds" are plural? I think it's also a commentary that while they (house owner/sailor) eventually leave once they've had their way, they do leave a lasting mark.