I think people are becoming confused because the story is not linear in time.
In the first 4 lines, Fagen and a friend (who we later find out is a woman) are waiting at home for news following the drug overdose of Lonnie. But we only find out that it was an overdose in the last 4 lines of the song.
The fact that Lonnie was a "kingpin" in the past (possibly a drug dealer or just a reference to being prosperous and popular) indicates that Lonnie has fallen from grace, presumably because of the impact of drugs over the years.
I also think that "came alive" and "came around" are references to the same thing - ie, Lonnie eventually reviving after his overdose.
The "Boston Rag" reference I see as a reference to ragtime jazz music, which symbolises an earlier, more innocent/hopeful time - ie, back when Lonnie was a kingpin and they all felt invincible, before the ravages of time and drug use took their toll and the reality of life set in.
Despite the song title, I think the story happens in New York, given the references to Seventh Avenue and Bayside.
The 4 lines starting "You were Lady Bayside" and ending "Seventh Avenue" are also happening after the overdose. From some research, I think "Lady Bayside" is a reference to the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary that happened in Bayside, NY in the 60s. I think Fagen is trying to engage with the woman (possibly to console here, but one might suspect that he has a romantic interest in her) but she's so pre-occupied with Lonnie's overdose that it's as though she isn't really there and so he leaves.
If you interpret Fagen as having a love interest in the woman, then it's possible that he realises, from seeing how torn up she is over Lonnie's condition, that she is in love with Lonnie, and so when Fagen leaves, he's resigning from trying to pursue her. But that's really writing your own story around the lyrics :-)
Rag is an old fashioned term for a newspaper. The Boston Rag is The Boston Globe newspaper, who, as early as 1965 spoke of a corrupt but pro-American Dictator in Cambodia by the name of Lon Nol, supported by the CIA, who managed his actions by feeding him drugs.
Fegan and Becker were early critics of U.S, involvement in the Viet Nam War.
Rag is an old fashioned term for a newspaper. The Boston Rag is The Boston Globe newspaper, who, as early as 1965 spoke of a corrupt but pro-American Dictator in Cambodia by the name of Lon Nol, supported by the CIA, who managed his actions by feeding him drugs.
Fegan and Becker were early critics of U.S, involvement in the Viet Nam War.
I think people are becoming confused because the story is not linear in time.
In the first 4 lines, Fagen and a friend (who we later find out is a woman) are waiting at home for news following the drug overdose of Lonnie. But we only find out that it was an overdose in the last 4 lines of the song.
The fact that Lonnie was a "kingpin" in the past (possibly a drug dealer or just a reference to being prosperous and popular) indicates that Lonnie has fallen from grace, presumably because of the impact of drugs over the years.
I also think that "came alive" and "came around" are references to the same thing - ie, Lonnie eventually reviving after his overdose.
The "Boston Rag" reference I see as a reference to ragtime jazz music, which symbolises an earlier, more innocent/hopeful time - ie, back when Lonnie was a kingpin and they all felt invincible, before the ravages of time and drug use took their toll and the reality of life set in.
Despite the song title, I think the story happens in New York, given the references to Seventh Avenue and Bayside.
The 4 lines starting "You were Lady Bayside" and ending "Seventh Avenue" are also happening after the overdose. From some research, I think "Lady Bayside" is a reference to the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary that happened in Bayside, NY in the 60s. I think Fagen is trying to engage with the woman (possibly to console here, but one might suspect that he has a romantic interest in her) but she's so pre-occupied with Lonnie's overdose that it's as though she isn't really there and so he leaves.
If you interpret Fagen as having a love interest in the woman, then it's possible that he realises, from seeing how torn up she is over Lonnie's condition, that she is in love with Lonnie, and so when Fagen leaves, he's resigning from trying to pursue her. But that's really writing your own story around the lyrics :-)
Rag is an old fashioned term for a newspaper. The Boston Rag is The Boston Globe newspaper, who, as early as 1965 spoke of a corrupt but pro-American Dictator in Cambodia by the name of Lon Nol, supported by the CIA, who managed his actions by feeding him drugs. Fegan and Becker were early critics of U.S, involvement in the Viet Nam War.
Rag is an old fashioned term for a newspaper. The Boston Rag is The Boston Globe newspaper, who, as early as 1965 spoke of a corrupt but pro-American Dictator in Cambodia by the name of Lon Nol, supported by the CIA, who managed his actions by feeding him drugs. Fegan and Becker were early critics of U.S, involvement in the Viet Nam War.