Neverland

I actually think this song is about their decision to allow Sony (a fancy man) to use their song Heartbeats in a commercial for a television. They're strongly opposed to things like that, but they chose to take the money because they wanted to start a label of their own ("Eyes are sober, this is the plan"), but I imagine that they still feel like they betrayed themselves (Singing for money that burns my hand).

I believe this song is related to stippers, and the thoughts that they ponder during a dance.

I really do.

I should know, I know enough of 'em, and you eventually get into the psychology of them as the years pass by.

And it is kind of scary, "Am I going to make it home tonight", but ladies and gents, thats the truth of the world out there...

Michael Jackson indeed.........pffft!

I think maybe this song is about a Geisha in Japan. "pointing with fingers that are left on his hand" could refer to a Yakuza member. "singing for money" and "following the steam" both make me think of Geishas (entertaining their clients, saunas etc..) Not sure about the rest of it :)

I immediately thought of the typical story where a girl heads to the big city to "make it big," gets caught up in the wrong crowd with promises of security and easy money. Then ends up in this abusive sexual relationship. The thing that struck a cord is the way she is always trying to convince herself that this is what she wanted "This is the plan, "this is my story and this is what I've planned," and "is this my home?" "Feed the hand that bites me" is a very poetic way of describing an abusive relationship.

"dude doesnt deserve a song"

I disagree, Michael Jackson may or may not have done something bad (after all the courts say he was innocent, it's only really the tabloid press who villify him), but you can't ignore that one of the greatest entertainers of modern times is now a washout. How does that happen? For the collective conciousness of society to suddenly flick from hot to cold like that? It's DEFINITELY something worth examining in a song. What's art about if not questioning important things like that? I hope this song IS about Michael Jackson.

this song is describing a callgirl (or callgirls).

the MJ reference is totally off.... - NEVERLAND in this case refers to a place of illusions. (btw. te original Neverland is in Peter Pan ;-))

I think from these song of girls wich are brought to western europe with promises of wealth and good life and finally enslaved there: it must seem like Neverland to them in terms of something that can never be.

I find the song really strong as it really very accurately transports what these women feel.

"He's pointing with the fingers that are left on his hand" - i think this picture is a metaphore for the environment these women are in - a criminal one. probably the "man without fingers" is the man who is enslaving these ladies.

"the monkey" term refers porobably to the men who are paying these women for their services, and how the women refer to them as "monkeys" wich is strong as it expresses how unpersonal these relationships are.

"Feed the hand that bites me" is probably referring to the act of love - giving "love" (for money) to a man who abuses her.

"Showing us love that none of us can" - describing how cold everything gets, how far away these women from love are.

I agree that this song is about a prostitute and I think it is much less vague than many other of the Knife's songs.

The Geisha theory has merit, but either way I think it's definitely about violence towards sex workers and the general oppression that results in prostitution work... "Nothing is more fatal than an angry man"... prostitutes are considered to be so low on the social ladder and so benefity little from sympathy or police protection and often fear violent reprisal. "Will I make it home tonight?" embodies the uncertainty that accompanies working alone with dangerous, dominating males.

I'm pretty sure this song is about strippers, more literally, but it demonstrates how this is a form of prostitution as the woman has to dance for angry and fancy men, and money that burns her hands. In a sense, she is being prostituted, as "woman-as-object".

I also think that one can take this prostitution concept and transpose it to artists: "I'm singing for that burns in my hand". How the artist or musician must prostitute themselves and their art for money and to the taste of the public.

I don't think that is too far of a stretch, considering The Knife's relationship with the media and their feelings about 'selling-out' their music and art.

agreed w/ gummo5 (and not only b/c his/her name refers to an awesome movie).

sitting in a car (not driving, but heading) [to] neverland with a plan, fancy man, dancing for dollars, nothing worse than an angry man, bump shoulder and tell a story, follow steam into another room....

yeah if any of you had ever been to a strip club this scenery would be pretty familiar.

And the kicker is singing for dollars, completing the musician as prostitute metaphor.

It's not a stretch, and it certainly isn't the first time I've heard a musician refer to themselves as such.

The Michael Jackson theory is hilarious, though. Bubbles was a chimp, not a monkey.