From, “Little Cream Soda,” White Stripes
And this old man in front of me
Holding canes and wearing ruby rings
Is like containing an explosion when he sings
But with every chance to set himself on fire
He just ends up doing the same thing.
Oh well, oh well.
The old man almost gets it. Like many of us, he suspects–but doesn’t really believe–he is far more than he appears. This reminds me of the Greek myth where the hero is exasperated to find he could barely defeat an old woman in a fight, and that he must struggle to drink a single glass of wine. Then his eyes are opened, and he sees that the glass of wine was an ocean, and the old woman was Death himself.
I guess I like this lyric because it parallels a common theme in what I write. But I love Jack White’s lyrics anyways.
Comment by Sunsun — 2 March 2008 @ 4:26 pm
There is some work, like this which simply escapes me and in the magic of music, I just sing along, unaware of what I am saying. Thanks for pulling my attention into the light.
Comment by MattWriks — 23 March 2008 @ 7:29 am