Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of internal struggle with persistent, escalating impure thoughts. The narrator frames this as an inherent "bad condition," tracing its lineage back to Eve and the "dirty little thing we do." This isn't just a fleeting temptation; it's a growing "movie collection" in the mind, a cinematic reel of filth that threatens to define him as a "perverted old man." The core tension lies in the narrator's awareness and shame versus the relentless nature of these thoughts. He acknowledges the escalating obscenity, comparing himself to "hustler magazine" and a "stripper blush"-inducing level of nastiness. The internal "voice" is a source of deep embarrassment, something he's "glad nobody else can hear," highlighting the chasm between his inner world and outward presentation. The bridge offers a particularly sharp image of desire clashing with restraint. The narrator likens himself to a "wolf on the prowl" but with "no eating allowed," a primal urge thwarted by circumstance or conscience. These "fantasies keep propositionin' me," a personification of temptation that he "try[ies] to stop but I'm not able," underscoring the feeling of powerlessness. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that this internal battle is a shared human experience, not just an individual failing. The shift in the final chorus to "We get dirtier by the year" and the preacher's pragmatic advice – "What do you think all this religion is for?" – reframe the struggle. It implies that the accumulation of life's experiences and temptations necessitates a continuous need for forgiveness, making the "dirtier by the year" a commentary on the ongoing human condition.