Lyric discussion by b4b1n5k1 

Cover art for Washington, D.C. lyrics by Magnetic Fields, The

Obviously this song extends past simply Washington DC, its a commentary on what people truly find important and makes life worth living, he virtually wrote a whole album about this..

Theres so much beauty in the world but none of it could ever come close to the internal beauty someone can invoke in you

My favorite part "It ain't no famous name on a golden plaque That makes me ride that railroad track It's my baby's kiss that keeps me coming back"

Really nails down a metaphor of life (by the train) being much more driven by love/emotions (my baby's kiss) instead of names on a plaque (knowledge/fame/etc), at least in most people.

Look up the surrogate mother experiment with monkeys

Honestly an extremely beautiful song, whereas you might see sarcasm in the listing of accolades I see immense beauty, the contrast emphasizes the pure power of love, a universe and eternal force driving humans to jump on a damn train

My Interpretation