i think this song could be about people denying gays rights... though this is just my interpretation of the lyrics

we watch you
your expert double x's
[we watch the conservatives and their double standards, and their "expert" ways of defending why they contradict themselves]


it's just like you
to paint those whiter fences
[the conservatives trying to make it sound like they're doing the right thing, like everything is better their way]

it's so polite, it's so polite
it's offensive, it's offensive
[they think they're being good by teaching people that straight relationships are the only morally correct ones, but it's actually offensive because it's untrue and love is love]

it's so unright, it's so unright
it's a technical, accept it
[it's so unright that they're trying to deny people rights, and they're saying that "that's just the way things are, accept it" as though that justifies it]

but who needs love when there's law and order
[the conservatives say "even if you're born gay, just don't have a relationship then... who needs love anyway, just follow the law and order will be kept" (also could be saying who needs love, just watch television and waste your life away)]

who needs love when there's southern comfort
[the conservatives say "don't worry that you can't get married, there's comfort down here in the conservative south" (also could be saying who needs love, just drink alcohol and waste your life away)]

who needs love at all
[again, "don't worry if you're gay, you just don't need love"]

we stalk you
your expert, double x's
we oxidized you in your sleep
there's no exit, there's no exit
[we take conservative views and disprove them, and the conservatives can't escape the truth]

your on a roll, your on a roll
no one gets it, no one gets it
[the conservatives think they're doing good but they're not, and that's why no one "gets it"]

you're unallowed, you're un - can't you protect us? protect us
[you're in the wrong, conservatives... can't you just help protect our rights?]

but who needs love when there's law and order
who needs love when there's southern comfort
[already explained]

who needs love when the sandwitches are wicked and they know you at the mac store
[the conservatives say, "who needs love when other aspects of life like food and technology and community are good?"]

i'm so excited
the blackest bees oh
i'm getting frightened
someday, someday leeds united
[gays and allies are excited for equal rights, but we're the "blackest bees" (the oddest ones in the bunch, the odds are against us?) and we're kinda scared... but someday, things will work out]

Bugzy My Lone, gonna carry you home
[not sure what 'bugzy my lone' is a reference to, but maybe something from the past? in which case it could mean the conservatives are taking old and meaningless values to heart]

and they're taking you all to the doctor
[they're calling all the fighting people "crazy"?]

verbally wise all sugary and spice
[hm, i thought this part was 'loverly voices and sugary spices'... if it is, that's the conservatives sounding all nice even though they're not]

and it's nice but its not what i'm after
[being straight is okay, but being gay is too]

sure i admire you, sure you inspire me
[sure, we appreciate some of the other values you have, and some other things about you conservatives]

but you may not get a maxed out
[but you're not fully good, and you're wrong about some things, conservatives]

where is the salesman counting my change
making bank on the up 'cos i lost my friend
[i thought this was 'where is the salesman counting my change, make or break on the upcoming roster'.. in which case it would mean someone is evaluating us and will determine if we make the list to heaven?]

we'll stop you
your expert double x's
[we'll put an end to conservative double-standard nonsense]

big stack hold for extra care, two x's
[a lot of things you conservatives are saying contradict each other, so it'll take extra care to defend those double standards against our unbeatable arguments]

that never talking thing you do
is effective, it's effective
[their best method of defense is to walk away and ignore us]

your shoulder's icy cold & it's a death wish, yes a death wish
[conservatives give us liberals the cold shoulder, and the death wish part could mean either they wish we die or their last wish is to have nothing to do with us]

but who needs love when there's law and order
[explained above]

who needs love when there's dukes of hazzard
[the conservatives say "who needs marriage when there's good movies and art... just have sex and nobody needs to know about it"]

and who needs love when the sandwitches are wicked and they know you at the mac store
[explained above]

i'm so excited
the blacks and bees
i'm so excited
when i think about leeds united
i'm getting frightened
the blacks, the blacks, the blacks and bees
it's so exciting
someday someday
someday someday
someday someday leeds united
[explained above]

so that's my interpretation, what do you guys think?

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I'm not sure about the meaning of the song as a whole, but I believe the bit about "who needs love when there's law and order...etc" is about using trivial things to distract you from the loss of a lover, or from the unhappiness of being alone.

Law and Order, and Dukes of Hazzard are both TV shows, and Southern Comfort is a brand of whiskey. So she's using television and alcohol to numb herself, so to speak.

Also, it's not "Bugzy My Lone"; the correct line is "Bugsy Malone", which was a musical from the '70s.

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Amazing song.

i think the whole song is about using trivial things to make yourself not think about love. Leeds United sounds like a football team, Dukes of hazzard is a film (and tv show), Law and Orders a TV show etc...

It's a amazing song

I can't make out a lot of the lyrics, but one thing I'm rather certain of (Because it's clever and Amanda Palmer is a genius) is that the lyric listed above as:

"you're unallowed, you're un - can't you protect us? protect us"

is in fact:

"You're unallowed, YOUR HONOR, can't you protect us? Protect us?"

This may be kind of a strange guess, but I actually think it's about the obesity epidemic in America. I think it's about couch potatoes who think living is sitting around at home watching life happen to other people on TV. I could be really, really wrong though. I'm still kind of at a loss for pretty much the second half of the song.

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Leeds United is an English football team that play in black and yellow (hence the blackest bees i think). They recently got into a load of trouble over debts and stuff. They went down in the league, and tried to appeal against the FA. Most other teams hate them now.

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Also, the reference is "Bugsy Malone" not Bugzy My Lone. It's a play/musical. Never seen it though, so I can't comment on where that comes into it.

Is there anyway that this song is about Tresor Kandol? Or at least partly? I've been thinking that because of the "double x's" part. XX is twenty in roman numerals, and number twenty on Leeds United is Tresor Kandol. I don't know much about football though.

Also, on the shadow box, some one PM'd Amanda and she gave the lyrics, and they are in fact "Bugzy My Lone", not anything else.

I'm actually totally convinced by the gay rights interpretation.
now when I listen that's all that comes to mind

I like the gay right interpretation, too.

did someone copy and paste my version of the lyrics? These are exactly the same as the ones I posted on the box, minus the "where is the salesman counting my change
making bank on the up 'cos i lost my friend" part. I wrote something else....

I'm pretty sure the salesman line is actually:

"I wait at the Sainbury's counting my change"

Sainsbury's is a large British supermarket chain.

I think its about someone whom lost a great lover and now has hit rock bottom going out drinking, (hence the double XX's could be XXXX beer?) and the line "who needs love when there's southern comfort" of course, drinking will numb the pain of a broken heart.

The line, "where is the salesman counting my change
making bank on the up 'cos i lost my friend" sounds like something a friend would tell me, "I was pissed so the salesman was counting my change cos I lost my friend" Of course because they were drunk they couldn't count their money and they lost their friend so they couldn't ask them for help.

I think the "Law and Order" and "dukes of hazzard" because often you'll come home late, alone and watch reruns of old shows.

That's my opinion of what i think when I listen to this song.

On the gay rights interpretation...the line "they know you at the mac store" would more likely be referring to MAC makeup, as the company was founded by two gay men.

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haha, i feel rather ridiculous, i thought she was refering to the mac books and i didnt understand why...

as for the you're unallowed and your honor vs. you're unallowed you're un-: something tells me that it doesn't quite fit. amanda's whole trend with this song is repetition so for her to say unallowed and your honor is, to me, out of place.

"in chicago, someone stepped on my mac. the screen became modern art. that someone was kate lane.
BUT.....they know me at the mac store, so a few days later the guys in new york HOOKED ME UP with a new screen. for free. life is wonderful that way. (thanks mac store!)"

that's all i have to say about this song. :)

X

i meant to say before that quote that she once wrote about how the Mac people knew her name when she went in to buy computer software. she then wrote the quote (above) a couple days ago in a new blog. so she's not talking about mac makeup.

Southern Comfort is a whiskey.

So uh just so everyone's clear I didn't PM Amanda, I said that if you PMd her she'll give you the lyrics. Meaning if she felt like it, because I know she has replied to people, not personally but created a whole thread for it. Nomean?

The correct lyrics are up on Palmer's myspace. And have been for quite some time.

I think you're right about the conservative thing, and if that case the "double exs" is almost probably referring to Exxon gas. On the official lyrics, Amanda spells it "exs" for the most part except at the "extra cold with 2 Xs" to make a distinction, and she even spells extra as "exxtra".

Also, I think:
"sure i admire you
sure you inspire me but you've been Not Getting Back so"

is referring to the troops.

I live in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, UK. Leeds United is the name of our football team. I've never seen them wear black and yellow, clydex, however, blue and yellow sometimes, yes. I would love to know what this means, actually. It's screwing me up trying to figure it out.
As an openly gay man, as well, I'm not sure about it to be honest, and how it ties in with our football team =oS It can't be a comment on the city, either, because we have a huge gay pride festival and parade, and a gay scene that looks set to get bigger. 'tis all very fascinating...

*as an openly gay man, I'm not sure about the gay rights interpretation - sorry, my bad!

There's a type of beer called "Exxtra Cold" that sponsors Leeds United.

This seems more like an current political situation song...or criticism of professional sports fans. "Whiter fences" sounds like "wide offences" to me, in the way the top politicians deliver speeches where they generalize the offences of the opposing party (ies). The "liberal elite" accusations over here in the US & A, when in fact the supporters of a party are more diverse than mudslinging sophistry.

"Burberry vices" instead of "verbally vices". Burberry is a brand associated with "chavs" in the UK...

"Leeds United is an English football team that play in black and yellow"
Lie, blue and yellow.
This song is nothing about Leeds United
It makes me angry.

Its about gays rights but also about not having love. Amanda is very honest in her lyrics, she doesnt use words to express anything but what the words say themselves. She is talking about all those hipocrite people but also abouth dealing with not having love at all, and not even in a sad way but just living life as it is.
Who needs love when there are small things like having a joke about sandwishes being wicked??
and she's always talking in her blog about going everyday to the mac store, so that they know her at the mac store is just that. There isnt any hidden ideas behind that verse. Just the nice thing of going to someplace very often and being known, the nice things are not always big.

Thats the good thing in Amanda's music. and every song is just that. There are no hidden agendas.