When Sex Was Dirty

Song Meaning

This track paints a vivid picture of a bygone era, a time of struggle and defiance on the "boulevard." The narrator addresses "sons and daughters" who navigated a world of hardship, learning to "go without sleep" and conceal their "scars." There's a sense of disillusionment with false promises, like the "vagrant" on Hollywood and Vine whose words about "a mile of gold" couldn't buy "an inch of time." This sets the stage for a narrative of resilience. The core tension lies in the contrast between scarcity and creation, between being "outnumbered" and still standing. The lyrics suggest a community that forged its identity "out of nothing at all," thriving even when "marijuana was against the law." They faced overwhelming odds, taking a "road of ruin," yet emerged with a sense of enduring presence. It’s a testament to survival against the grain. The most striking image is the juxtaposition: "I remember when sex was dirty / And the air was clean." This isn't just nostalgia; it's a commentary on perceived purity versus a more complex, perhaps more honest, reality. The idea that "everything worth knowing / Was in a magazine" further emphasizes a time when information and perhaps even societal values were more curated and seemingly straightforward, before the complexities of the present. What makes these lyrics resonate is their grounded portrayal of a specific, hard-won existence. The narrator doesn't shy away from the "road of ruin" but highlights the strength found in overcoming it. The sharp, almost paradoxical imagery of a "dirty" past with a "clean" atmosphere captures a unique emotional texture, suggesting that true value was found not in ease, but in the struggle itself.