This song can be interpreted as about a gigolo, or with even more correlations - about an unethical slum lord resident manager.
The band, The Animals, resemble a group of fraternity brothers, and it is possible that this song refers to the leader of the fraternity house becoming a resident manager and taking advantage of poor apartment renters.
"It's a hard world to get a break in, All the good things have been taken" alludes to the urban poverty mentioned in other Animals songs. Also, "All the good things have been taken" refers to the conservative belief, possibly within fraternities, that things are getting worse.
"But girl there are ways to make certain things pay, Though I'm dressed in these rags, I'll wear sable someday" possibly refers to a philosophy of not being poor via taking advantage of the poor. Also, wearing sable might refer to the fraternal/mod era values of wearing expensive suits and overcoats.
"Hear what I say, I'm gonna ride the serpent, No more time spent sweatin' rent" might refer to the conservative belief in ethics and morals being relative, as in Machiavelli's The Prince. Also, once again a possible reference to not being poor and "sweatin' rent" via unethical collecting rent from impoverished slum residents.
"Hear my command, I'm breakin' loose, it ain't no use, Holdin' me down, stick around" is possibly the corrupt conservative fraternity leader telling a sonority woman that he deserves her devotion because he will get rich by taking advantage of the poor and having no morals or ethics pays.
"But baby (baby), Remember (remember), It's my life and I'll do what I want, It's my mind and I'll think what I want, Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime, But some day I'll treat you real fine" refers to conservative misanthropic beliefs construed as individualism, like in the Frank Sinatra song "I did It my way" .
"There'll be women and their fortunes, Who just want to mother orphans, Are you gonna cry, when I'm squeezin' them dry, Takin' all I can get, no regrets" refers to Welfare Queen mythos among conservatives and not regretting making money from the slum conditions they live in.
"When I, openly lie, And live off their money, Believe me honey, that money, Can you believe, I ain't no saint, No complaints" refers to profiting off of unethical lying, having the opposite of Christian values, and evicting poor persons that are late with rent or in some way violating rent agreements.
Therefore, instead of a song about being a gigolo, It's My Life is interpretable as a song about conservative fraternal white collar corrupt privateer values.
This song can be interpreted as about a gigolo, or with even more correlations - about an unethical slum lord resident manager.
The band, The Animals, resemble a group of fraternity brothers, and it is possible that this song refers to the leader of the fraternity house becoming a resident manager and taking advantage of poor apartment renters.
"It's a hard world to get a break in, All the good things have been taken" alludes to the urban poverty mentioned in other Animals songs. Also, "All the good things have been taken" refers to the conservative belief, possibly within fraternities, that things are getting worse.
"But girl there are ways to make certain things pay, Though I'm dressed in these rags, I'll wear sable someday" possibly refers to a philosophy of not being poor via taking advantage of the poor. Also, wearing sable might refer to the fraternal/mod era values of wearing expensive suits and overcoats.
"Hear what I say, I'm gonna ride the serpent, No more time spent sweatin' rent" might refer to the conservative belief in ethics and morals being relative, as in Machiavelli's The Prince. Also, once again a possible reference to not being poor and "sweatin' rent" via unethical collecting rent from impoverished slum residents.
"Hear my command, I'm breakin' loose, it ain't no use, Holdin' me down, stick around" is possibly the corrupt conservative fraternity leader telling a sonority woman that he deserves her devotion because he will get rich by taking advantage of the poor and having no morals or ethics pays.
"But baby (baby), Remember (remember), It's my life and I'll do what I want, It's my mind and I'll think what I want, Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime, But some day I'll treat you real fine" refers to conservative misanthropic beliefs construed as individualism, like in the Frank Sinatra song "I did It my way" .
"There'll be women and their fortunes, Who just want to mother orphans, Are you gonna cry, when I'm squeezin' them dry, Takin' all I can get, no regrets" refers to Welfare Queen mythos among conservatives and not regretting making money from the slum conditions they live in.
"When I, openly lie, And live off their money, Believe me honey, that money, Can you believe, I ain't no saint, No complaints" refers to profiting off of unethical lying, having the opposite of Christian values, and evicting poor persons that are late with rent or in some way violating rent agreements.
Therefore, instead of a song about being a gigolo, It's My Life is interpretable as a song about conservative fraternal white collar corrupt privateer values.