NEW SLANG - AN ESOTERIC DISCUSSION

When I abandoned my life and set out in search of something more fulfilling, I vowed to take more time doing things that I liked, not just things that had to get done. For the first time ever I find myself on the internet for things other than imperatives.

Although I have always loved music and it moves me in a way that absolutely nothing else can, I never had time to evaluate the lyrics and meaning from the artists perspective. Now that I'm living my 2.0 life, I have begun to take a closer look at a couple of my favorite songs and am blown away at how they touch at the core of life. Some of them are modern day poetry. What's even better is that I discovered a whole host of people who discuss more meaningful things like this on the internet. How cool is that! Its like I'm experiencing all the cool elective classes in college that I never had the pleasure of taking.

Without further adieux and at the risk of sounding like some crazy groupie, I must introduce one of the most powerful songs ever which happens to coincide with my current struggle .....I surmise I will continue to grapple with this issue as time goes on....

If you have not heard the song New Slang, then please listen to it before you read on. Its too great to miss.

Below I have broken down each verse/stanza, but I want your feedback. There are some things that really could go another direction so I could use your help. Come on, this will be fun!

Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth.
Only, i don't know how they got out, dear.
Turn me back into the pet that i was when we met.
I was happier then with no mind-set.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

New slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries.
Hope it's right when you die, old and bony.
Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall,
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and i'm lonely.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

God speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs,
And bleed into their buns 'till they melt away.

I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.
Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?
And if you'd 'a took to me like
Well i'd a danced like the queen of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

So, to me, this song is all about the crash that occurs when we discover the world as it really is. Once he was nieve and he didn't know how he became enlightened but he wishes he could remain the fool he once was. (Sort of like crawling back inside Plato's cave).

He talk about the few who get to be special (with money and power) or with a noble cause to define their lives, but most of us, including him, are the working masses that work ourselves to the bone who cannot find the better life we seek.

Below, I have broken down the versus and my thoughts on each verse. But, I wanted to leave it untainted above so each reader could take a look for themselves before I contaminate their thinking.

Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth.

Gold teeth are a sign of a good life in most countries, including India which he refers to later. He didn't know how good he had it so he was unthankful for the small mind he had.

Only, i don't know how they got out, dear.

He is not sure exactly where he saw the world differently.

Turn me back into the pet that i was when we met.
I was happier then with no mind-set.

He wishes he could go back to the naivety that kept him from seeing how brutal and empty life is.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.

Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

This is great. He is saying if we would have kept this lost love of his, his love for her would have been enough to blind him from the clear sight (from the prospective of the top of a tree where he can see everything). He would have gladly lived as a fool in love and they would have never known truth.

New slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries.

Slang is a new label for the same old thing. He is now in a new class of people who get what life really is. He is saying they are prisoners, they wear stripes. And adults - who are more aware than children who would gladly eat off the floor (like a pet, which he used to be) - would never notice the dirt they are eating on something that is supposed to be so good.

"definition of slang" its "slang" if it meets at least two of the following criteria:

• It lowers, if temporarily, "the dignity of formal or serious speech or writing"; in other words, it is likely to be considered in those contexts a "glaring misuse of register."
• Its use implies that the user is familiar with whatever is referred to, or with a group of people who are familiar with it and use the term.
• "It is a taboo term in ordinary discourse with people of a higher social status or greater responsibility."
• It replaces "a well-known conventional synonym". This is done primarily to avoid the discomfort caused by the conventional item or by further elaboration.^[1]

Hope it's right when you die, old and bony.

Maybe here he shows a glimmer of hope about finding contentment or some closure when you die your uneventful death after a long hard life.

Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall,
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and i'm lonely.

He is in pain from his awakening and from his discovery that he could have avoided the awakening through love. He called his love because he is struggling.

And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

God speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs,
And bleed into their buns 'till they melt away.

LOVE THIS PART. He is showing compassion for all the hard-working people who get up early trying to catch an edge every morning. The buns are the bakers work, and it drains all of the blood out of you until you silently pass out of this world

I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.

Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?
And if you'd 'a took to me like
Well i'd a danced like the queen of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

This was tough, and I actually did some research on this stanza before coming to a conclusion.

He sees that some people do have a content life. Those with money (a trust) don't have to be worked to the bone so maybe they can dedicate a lifetime to self-realization and other more important things. And, flaming fields refers to a cause to which you can be dedicated which makes your life worth living. Its not monotonous. - unlike a baker or a prisoner. It has value. Without these things, he can't find meaning. He can't refine himself. To refine is:

1 : to free (as metal, sugar, or oil) from impurities or unwanted material
2 : to free from moral imperfection : elevate
3 : to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
4 : to reduce in vigor or intensity

5 : to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth

Specifically. The flaming fields refers to a specific conflict in India which was a class war over control of land/wealth. The Marxists were attempting to gain control of the land since they were the ones working the land.

Again, this class war reference refers to money so maybe he is saying he will remain uncouth or unpolished without money or economic freedom.

(See http://www.bihartimes.com/articles/dbandyopadhyay/flamingfields.html)

WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS POEM/SONG. DO YOU THINK ITS ABOUT A LOST LOVE THAT HE CANNOT HAVE? DO YOU THINK HE FEELS MONEY WOULD BRING THE FREEDOM HE IS LOOKING FOR? IS IT ABOUT A CLASS WAR? IS HE HOPEFUL THAT HAPPINESS WILL BE ATTAINED.