The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
They made a statue of us
And then put it on a mountain top
Now tourists come and stare at us
Blow bubbles with their gum
Take photographs of fun, have fun
They'll name a city after us
And later say it's all our fault
Then they'll give us a talking to
Then they'll give us a talking to
'Cause they've got years of experience
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
We wear our scarves just like a noose
But not 'cause we want eternal sleep
And though our parts are slightly used
New ones are slave labor you can keep
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
The tourists come and stare at us
The sculptor's mama sends regards
They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
Our noses have begun to rust
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And then put it on a mountain top
Now tourists come and stare at us
Blow bubbles with their gum
Take photographs of fun, have fun
They'll name a city after us
And later say it's all our fault
Then they'll give us a talking to
Then they'll give us a talking to
'Cause they've got years of experience
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
We wear our scarves just like a noose
But not 'cause we want eternal sleep
And though our parts are slightly used
New ones are slave labor you can keep
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
The tourists come and stare at us
The sculptor's mama sends regards
They made a statue of us
They made a statue of us
Our noses have begun to rust
We're living in a den of thieves
Rummaging for answers in the pages
We're living in a den of thieves
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
And it's contagious
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beautiful song. I love the whole concept of the world edifying love by making a statue. what the speaker and her significant other had was so awesome and profound that they immortalized it. It's also great that the love is contagious and catching. They're going to spread it throughout and get "blamed for it." Though the line with "den of thieves" makes it sound like the love is being stolen, i prefer not to think of it that way. Love can't be stolen. :) it grows and is spread to others.
I agree, though I think that in the process of edifying them, the people who made the statue/named the city created something else.<br /> The depiction of them (their love, or what have you) has taken on a life of it's own and now means many things to different people; even things that it was never intended to represent.
I really really think its nothing about love or a couple who loves each other that much that they are going to be immortalized with a statue... Come on, regina never use to speak about love in that simple way... i guess it has many more about URSS; how something that was done expecting to be a good thing for everyone came out wrong... the references about the Quran and the Bible with "den of thieves" and "rummaging for answers in the pages" are a very good ejemplification that it has happend before (with a lot of religions) and that is going to happend again in the future... i dont know maybe it has someting to do with the stupid american war agains "terrosism" that has become a great excuse to invade every country who has oil...
I always thought of parents talking about how the way their children look at them changes as they grow up.<br /> At first, when the kids are little they put them on a pedestal(make a statue of us and put it on a mountain)I thought it was kids becasue they were talking about bubble gum and fun and how they take pictures of the statues, but it says tourists take the pictures, so you know that like tourists, the children won't stay there forever and look at you that way forever.<br /> <br /> Then as they grow older( teens and early 20s)The parent's will have had a bigger influence on them, but they feel anomosity totowards them, because you know how kids blame their parents for their problems(i know I do sometimes...)Then they'll give them a talking to, like scolding them or complaining to them how they've ruined their lives, becasue the kids just know SO much more than parents. <br /> The Den of theives refers to the world stealing their innocent children away, and how the parents flip through the pages of the bible or parenting books, trying to figure out where they went wrong and the children flip trhough the pages of literature and try to broaden their horizons, searching for the meaning of life.<br /> <br /> <br /> The parents think of how their little innocent children made a statue of them when they were younger but the nose begins to rust, and the statue isn't quite as beatiful, and the kids don't see their parents as the beautiful amazing statue anymore.<br /> Then when they say it's contagious, I think it means when the kids have children, the same thing is going to happen and repeat throughout generations.<br /> like when you hear people say they'll never be like their parents, but they end up saying the same things they swore they never would.<br /> <br /> It sounds a little bit sad though, to me. I don't know why.<br /> It's a beautiufl song, though. <br /> <br /> I like the way you put it anna<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
Anna, you could be wrong. <br /> I feel like this song has a much more sad and deeper meaning. <br /> <br /> "They made a statue of us and put it on a mountain top." - They (family and friends) built us up<br /> "Now tourist come and stare at us." - Now anyone who sees us has a false image of us.<br /> "They named a city after us" - going along the same path that the first line did. <br /> "Then later say it's all our fault." - post break up.<br /> "Then they'll give us a talking to, 'cause they have years of experience." - They'll tell us what we did/where we went wrong. <br /> "And it's contagious." - now it's everyone's business.<br /> <br /> Just something to think about.<br /> <br />
Nothing to do with love, and almost nothing to do with comunism, it's the perception os the US, the country where she grew at:
From what a see it's about the relationship between Europe and the US ("US"). They (Europe) give them the Statue of Liberty wich is now banalised by tourists.
Europeans always say they have years of experience (history, old democracies, old republics) in comparison to Americans which "they give a talking to" because they see the US as too agressive to other countries.
Opposed to the US ppl in Europe wear scarves ALL THE TIME.
But the part that makes me think of it the most is the part that says "the sculptor's mama sends regards". The Statue of Liberty was made after Augusta Charlotte Bartholdi... THE SCULPTOR'S MAMA...
Then again going to the more communist/socialist (or even modern European, if you will) view, some aspects of the US and it's culture are seen as a den of thieves and it's contagious because many other countries try to copy them
I'll try to expand more to the idea at some point.
Best regards
I wondered about the "Us"/"US" relationship, I'm glad you mentioned it. <br /> <br /> "Den of thieves" is a argument that you could use to describe basically any government so I think it's probably feasible to interpret either way.<br /> <br /> I'd assume that it would be more likely that "Us" refers to a formerly prominent leader that is being heavily criticized by the rest of the world ("they"), a leader that has a statue and a city named in his honor.<br /> <br /> It may be even more likely that "Us" is a general term for the group of people associated with this leader-maybe those who supported a form of government no longer popular (communism/socialism/etc). "Our parts" refers to the instruments of government: people, institutions, ideologies, etc. They're slightly used but there are new ones to replace them which, ironically, are used for "slave labor."<br /> <br /> The "pages" could refer to the pages of history or the political writings of philosophers like Confucius, Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, Jefferson, etc. They hold all the answers but still, goverments are corrupt and people are abused.<br /> <br /> I would guess that the point, in any case, is that political criticisms and ideologies are rarely as simple as "Your government is bad, let us fix it with this new form of government." People will always be abused regardless of the specific form that government takes because people in power are usually corrupt (a den of thieves).<br /> <br /> If this is correct, its an interesting perspective that I can appreciate (but don't totally agree with).
@nelsito I really enjoyed this particular interpretation about the perspective US and us, as I am teaching it today to a class of Speaker of Foreign Languages. Thank you!
The clue is the lyric "rummaging for answers in the pages" and the excerpt "Den of thieves" which references the gospel of Mark 11:17.
"And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."
This is about how the original message of religious prophets ("us") has become so corrupted and coopted by "them" that it has become a "contagious" virus and when it comes to reinterpreting scripture to justify actions in our name, "we" (the original prophets) want no part of it ("new ones are slave labor you can keep").
In Nevi'im is also:<br /> <br /> 'Do you consider this House, which bears My name, to be a den of thieves?' Jeremiah 7:11<br /> <br /> Being as Regina is Jewish I'd assume she would have taken it from this source, of the TNKh, which I happened to stumble upon during my reading recently.<br /> It was a moment of complete and utter reSpekt for her, amazing.<br /> <br /> <br /> FURTHER,<br /> Jeremiah refers often to worshiping icons and statues, and the way it's disgraceful to G-d. I do not think it's coincidental that Regina mentions statues in this song...<br /> <br /> Myriads of interpretations, won't waste this space with my own cause they'd ramble; just wanted to put this in here!<br />
I think of Lenin and Trotsky, who tried to change things for the better and will go down in history as villains.
@littlescrooge Do you think imperialism is evil?
"we wear our scarves, but not because we want eternal sleep." Somehow she always plays with these suicidal images (carbon monoxide I am thinking of mainly), and yet fills her music so full of life. I would have to agree, she is a talent unlike any other female vocalist today. She has a slightly Mirah feel, and every once and a while reminds me of Nellie McKay, but mostly it's completely unique. Love it, especially this song.
I like Joemomma's interpretation that it is a historical song about Russian politcs (the album is called Soviet Kitsch afterall). The "heros" of one day became the "enemies of the revolution" the next.
I like the humor in the song, the resigned attitude that the subjects seem to have to their fate. "They;ll give us a talking to, cause they've got years of experience" and I love how Regina plays on the "US" at the end of the word "Contagious" in a song called "us."
(500)Days of Summer!
We've chosen this as our wedding song, to walk down the aisle to. Taking the song very simply the idea of 'us' is very important to us(!), so we focused on the idea of us and our love 'they built a statue of us' etc. Someone on this site said they saw it as a love so big they built a statue of it, which kind of matches our idea- an optimistic view of this beautiful song :) Lots of our favourite songs are hard to fit into a wedding because of unrelated lyrics but as always they're open to interpretation. Only had to totally veto a few! Love love love Regina
Interesting. You can certainly interpret the song however you want, but I really thing this song is more of a political commentary than a love song. I suppose if you view your relationship in that context: living in a den of thieves, blamed for wrongdoings, a rusting monument, then actually it could be a romantic song, if slightly melancholy song. Nothin wrong with a little melancholy! ;)<br /> <br /> And hey, lots of people think Flightless Bird, American Mouth is a romantic song!
I like your comment. The majority of the comments here point out the song as a social and political commentary. They are mostly very valid and probably correct. But music is not just about lyrics, its about how it sounds too. And this song has a very sweet romantic lovely sound. Well, in my opinion and apparently yours, anyway. So why put political commentary in this format? Perhaps its somehow connecting the relationship of these two people with the relationship between certain countries. Im not sure though. Well done for exposing the romantic side of the song though because it is definitely present and a stranger to the song would never see it coming if he looked through most of the comments here. I'm gonna go through the rest of the comments now. Perhaps someone better explains this contrast or similarity between the two 'aspects' that this song seems to radiate.
well....when i first heard this song i didn't know what it was about, and i like to imagine what it could be about...if i wrote it...and this one just makes feel like the youth of a generation is saying that the older generation is building us up like we are the future of america will be great but when it doesn't go they wanted it, the older generation blames the younger generation for everything wrong about the world. or the other way i saw it was, we have this statue of blackhawk the indian by my hometown rockford, and i always picture ppl going by blowing bubble....they "early americans" respected the indians..but stole from them "living in a den of thieves" blamed the indians for things and "it's contagious" means it still goes on today...we are doing thing like that all over again. "we search for answers of how to fix it "rumaging for answers in the pages" (of history). but that's just me
This song is about the Soviet Union's rise and collapse, the effect it had on the the USSR itself, Russia, and especially the people. How Stalin and Lenin (Stalingrad and Leningrad, cities names after the leaders of the revolution and people who pushed it further) were idolized and their statues are still in Moscow's park. Vandalized and whatnot, but they're a reminder of the completely different times. I dunno if anybody else wrote about this. It just makes sense because she is Russian and she came here around the collapse of the Soviet Union. She seems connected and Russia is effin sweeet.. Kind of love song too. Maybe a comparison.