he isn't talking about the history of rhode island. a lot of this song is figuratively speaking, which adds to how amazing it is. the first line "she came from providence", it implies that she's coming from the grace of god, and when he says "one in rhode island", he could mean quite a few things. the way i believe is that since he says it almost as a side note, he's talking about how people would use certain words to get where they wanted. i can't explain what i mean as well as it is in my head. =)
i don't believe he's describing an actual place, but more describing how we destroy our own happiness, as in the last line "you call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye." once a place has attention brought to it ["can't wait to tell you all what it's like up there"], it slowly brings upon its own demise. up until this point, it's such a peaceful song, but then it almost seems sinister:
then the chilly winds blew down
across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the malibu
where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do"
the next part talks about the same idea, how people started out with a good idea ["they even brought a neon sign that said 'jesus is coming'"], but it "brought the white man's burden down, brought the white man's reign". power is corruption. up until that moment, everything was good, but once someone took control, they ruined it.
the next few stanzas is him expressing his anger, and the power in this is amazing. i love his voice. =)
the last lines sum up the song... about how one day, this "paradise" that was once, is now simply a story they tell, nothing more. once you "call some place paradise... kiss it goodbye"...
he isn't talking about the history of rhode island. a lot of this song is figuratively speaking, which adds to how amazing it is. the first line "she came from providence", it implies that she's coming from the grace of god, and when he says "one in rhode island", he could mean quite a few things. the way i believe is that since he says it almost as a side note, he's talking about how people would use certain words to get where they wanted. i can't explain what i mean as well as it is in my head. =)
i don't believe he's describing an actual place, but more describing how we destroy our own happiness, as in the last line "you call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye." once a place has attention brought to it ["can't wait to tell you all what it's like up there"], it slowly brings upon its own demise. up until this point, it's such a peaceful song, but then it almost seems sinister: then the chilly winds blew down across the desert through the canyons of the coast, to the malibu where the pretty people play, hungry for power to light their neon way and give them things to do"
the next part talks about the same idea, how people started out with a good idea ["they even brought a neon sign that said 'jesus is coming'"], but it "brought the white man's burden down, brought the white man's reign". power is corruption. up until that moment, everything was good, but once someone took control, they ruined it.
the next few stanzas is him expressing his anger, and the power in this is amazing. i love his voice. =)
the last lines sum up the song... about how one day, this "paradise" that was once, is now simply a story they tell, nothing more. once you "call some place paradise... kiss it goodbye"...