This is one of Byrne's finest koans. I've been trying to figure it out (in the context of the album, Naked, which is definitely a concept album about human nature where songs like "Nature Boy" and "Nothing But Flowers" express different points of view) for about 20 years.
First, the lyrics are from a little boy's point of view, but the music in the verses is sinister. It starts specific "All the way from Baltimore . . ." and gets general: "Crawling out of bed . . . we're not the only family to make this little trip." Cold s a central image. "Chilly Willy". There is obviously immigration, the sense of enforced forward progress through a strange world where we aren't ever going home, such as through a 'normal' lifetime: "Making changes day by day, we still ain't got no plan . . " . And we rely on tradition to help us, because it's a crazty world out there: "some are born to take advantage . . . and we're wearing our grandfather's coat . . . "
I feel it's almost existentialist, where we all need to go but can never know where we're going. "Changing the water of life.". There isn't a song on Naked that isn't a wider metaphor, whether its presented that way explicitly or not. This one is, but it's obscure and the little details throw you off. Now, to see if anyone has any insight on 'Big Daddy' and 'Bill'. This is an album worth figuring out. It's meant to be, but I don't know if a critic has ever risen to the challenge!
This is one of Byrne's finest koans. I've been trying to figure it out (in the context of the album, Naked, which is definitely a concept album about human nature where songs like "Nature Boy" and "Nothing But Flowers" express different points of view) for about 20 years.
First, the lyrics are from a little boy's point of view, but the music in the verses is sinister. It starts specific "All the way from Baltimore . . ." and gets general: "Crawling out of bed . . . we're not the only family to make this little trip." Cold s a central image. "Chilly Willy". There is obviously immigration, the sense of enforced forward progress through a strange world where we aren't ever going home, such as through a 'normal' lifetime: "Making changes day by day, we still ain't got no plan . . " . And we rely on tradition to help us, because it's a crazty world out there: "some are born to take advantage . . . and we're wearing our grandfather's coat . . . "
I feel it's almost existentialist, where we all need to go but can never know where we're going. "Changing the water of life.". There isn't a song on Naked that isn't a wider metaphor, whether its presented that way explicitly or not. This one is, but it's obscure and the little details throw you off. Now, to see if anyone has any insight on 'Big Daddy' and 'Bill'. This is an album worth figuring out. It's meant to be, but I don't know if a critic has ever risen to the challenge!