| Steely Dan – Do It Again Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I'm pretty sure this song is about the nature of sin and self destruction. The fact that the song refers specifically to the listener in an inclusive form throughout ("in the morning YOU go gunning.. etc etc.") seems to suggest that the song is intended to widely refer to humanity as a whole, or at least to society in general. each verse describes a sinful or self destructive behavior i.e revenge, betrayal etc however I think the final verse describes the overall message of the song best. the phrases: " you swear and kick and beg that you're not a gambling man.." and "you're black cards make you money so you hide them when you're able" are about the way people hide and deny their sinful and deceptive natures. "in the land of milk and honey you must put them on the table." may, as one use pointed out refer to heaven however I think it may also refer to the pursuit of the promised land and that in that pursuit you must show your cards, meaning that to get ahead you must reveal your sinful nature. I also think Gershwin cleverly used words that could have multiple meanings and interpretations to make the song more cryptic, such as "handle" possibly meaning booze, or slot machine handle. In any case the song is definitely about how humans are incapable of avoiding sin and self destruction, returning to the same behaviors that they know will only cause pain and hardship. |
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