Ok a lot of you are taking this the wrong way. Watch, read, and listen to Issacs interviews. He's been in jail, an alchoholic, drugs, fights. A dirt life.
Think of a city rat. Always going through what other people cause waste. Causing trouble, and having fun with it.
I think this follows the theme of growing up. Issac was (and still probably is) a rough around the edges guy. The line "county jails are free." was talking about not minding the trouble they were getting in. Everything in the persons life is a mess, and going down hill. In flames. Yet, still lssac laughs and is energetic.
The "lucky lucky me" obviously sarcastic. He knows that it's not amounting to anything and he would have to work his way up from where he is if he wants to reach his own standard of happiness.
Also, please remember this song and most of these songs were written a while ago. You can't look for the meaning of it by lookig at them today
"LewfKrad" you're actually wrong.
this song was based on James Clavell's 1962 novel, "King Rat". if everyone wants to know what king rat is all about...wikipedia "james clavell's king rat" james was a p.o.w. in changi. king rat was an american who was the "go to" guy if you needed anything in prison. after you check it out...the lyrics to modest mouses' king rat makes perfect sense.
"LewfKrad" you're actually wrong.
this song was based on James Clavell's 1962 novel, "King Rat". if everyone wants to know what king rat is all about...wikipedia "james clavell's king rat" james was a p.o.w. in changi. king rat was an american who was the "go to" guy if you needed anything in prison. after you check it out...the lyrics to modest mouses' king rat makes perfect sense.
i really don't think isaac would right a song about a book..like the author already wrote it, why would he just write about what he read. lewfkrad is right; it's about his life. maybe the novel was some sort of an inspiration, but it goes much deeper than reflections on a book.
i really don't think isaac would right a song about a book..like the author already wrote it, why would he just write about what he read. lewfkrad is right; it's about his life. maybe the novel was some sort of an inspiration, but it goes much deeper than reflections on a book.
You guys are both right, and I'm not just trying to play moderator. To me this song is very very much about the "revolving door" of our justice system and our society as a whole. In my mind, there is no denying that.
You guys are both right, and I'm not just trying to play moderator. To me this song is very very much about the "revolving door" of our justice system and our society as a whole. In my mind, there is no denying that.
As with many Modest Mouse songs, the title itself is an ironic allusion. In this case it alludes to the James Clavell book from the 60's. Here's where the irony is: King Rat in Clavell's book is king of a prison, and he maintains his power by stealing, cheating, and using the system to manipulate. King Rat in the MM song is king of the entire system, the irony being that really all of society is just a prison, and King Rat runs the place by committing the same crimes as those he punishes, stealing, cheating, manipulating. This is actually a predominate theme in the book as well. The narrator of the song, undoubtedly Isaac himself, wishes he could be separate from all the mess of a society that requires him to starve and suffer. The line "We choked on straight tap water/Well, I'm going to have to try the real thing," to me is about wanting to be separate from all the shit, wanting to know what it was like to drink something from the source, not contained and contaminated and pumped in so "they" can charge you money for it. A life outside the system.
On a side note, who cares if it says "straight" or "street." There's too much arguing on this thread about specific little words while the context of the entire song goes unnoticed. This is "songmeanings(dot)net," not "perfectlyrics(dot)net."
Ok a lot of you are taking this the wrong way. Watch, read, and listen to Issacs interviews. He's been in jail, an alchoholic, drugs, fights. A dirt life.
Think of a city rat. Always going through what other people cause waste. Causing trouble, and having fun with it.
I think this follows the theme of growing up. Issac was (and still probably is) a rough around the edges guy. The line "county jails are free." was talking about not minding the trouble they were getting in. Everything in the persons life is a mess, and going down hill. In flames. Yet, still lssac laughs and is energetic.
The "lucky lucky me" obviously sarcastic. He knows that it's not amounting to anything and he would have to work his way up from where he is if he wants to reach his own standard of happiness.
Also, please remember this song and most of these songs were written a while ago. You can't look for the meaning of it by lookig at them today
"LewfKrad" you're actually wrong. this song was based on James Clavell's 1962 novel, "King Rat". if everyone wants to know what king rat is all about...wikipedia "james clavell's king rat" james was a p.o.w. in changi. king rat was an american who was the "go to" guy if you needed anything in prison. after you check it out...the lyrics to modest mouses' king rat makes perfect sense.
"LewfKrad" you're actually wrong. this song was based on James Clavell's 1962 novel, "King Rat". if everyone wants to know what king rat is all about...wikipedia "james clavell's king rat" james was a p.o.w. in changi. king rat was an american who was the "go to" guy if you needed anything in prison. after you check it out...the lyrics to modest mouses' king rat makes perfect sense.
i really don't think isaac would right a song about a book..like the author already wrote it, why would he just write about what he read. lewfkrad is right; it's about his life. maybe the novel was some sort of an inspiration, but it goes much deeper than reflections on a book.
i really don't think isaac would right a song about a book..like the author already wrote it, why would he just write about what he read. lewfkrad is right; it's about his life. maybe the novel was some sort of an inspiration, but it goes much deeper than reflections on a book.
Aren't we all just prisoners paying rent?
Aren't we all just prisoners paying rent?
You guys are both right, and I'm not just trying to play moderator. To me this song is very very much about the "revolving door" of our justice system and our society as a whole. In my mind, there is no denying that.
You guys are both right, and I'm not just trying to play moderator. To me this song is very very much about the "revolving door" of our justice system and our society as a whole. In my mind, there is no denying that.
As with many Modest Mouse songs, the title itself is an ironic allusion. In this case it alludes to the James Clavell book from the 60's. Here's where the irony is: King Rat in Clavell's book is king of a prison, and he maintains his power by stealing, cheating, and using the system to manipulate. King Rat in the MM song is king of the entire system, the irony being that really all of society is just a prison, and King Rat runs the place by committing the same crimes as those he punishes, stealing, cheating, manipulating. This is actually a predominate theme in the book as well. The narrator of the song, undoubtedly Isaac himself, wishes he could be separate from all the mess of a society that requires him to starve and suffer. The line "We choked on straight tap water/Well, I'm going to have to try the real thing," to me is about wanting to be separate from all the shit, wanting to know what it was like to drink something from the source, not contained and contaminated and pumped in so "they" can charge you money for it. A life outside the system.
On a side note, who cares if it says "straight" or "street." There's too much arguing on this thread about specific little words while the context of the entire song goes unnoticed. This is "songmeanings(dot)net," not "perfectlyrics(dot)net."