Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a stark picture of societal rejection, beginning with a "colored girl" whose "song was soft and blue" despite acclaim. The narrator observes that even this artist, celebrated yet seemingly vulnerable, faced venomous backlash: "They hissed and piss'd and they booed." This sets a tone of pervasive, unreasoning hostility directed at individuals who, by their very existence or expression, seem to provoke outrage.
The song then broadens its scope to include a "German boy," described as "articulate, astute" with a "scientific mind," yet he too is met with the same aggressive rejection. This juxtaposition suggests the hostility isn't tied to a specific failing or characteristic, but rather a generalized, almost automatic, condemnation. The repeated phrase "They hissed and piss'd and they booed" acts as a relentless refrain, underscoring the inescapable nature of this negative reception.
The chorus introduces a jarring, almost nonsensical, accusation: "The yankee humbug / Neo-nazi / The yankee stumblebum / Neo-nazi." This juxtaposition of seemingly disparate insults – "yankee humbug" and "neo-nazi" – creates a sense of chaotic, unfocused anger. It implies that the targets of this vitriol are being labeled with extreme, often contradictory, accusations, suggesting the accusers' motives are less about specific ideologies and more about a primal, destructive impulse to condemn.
Finally, the lyrics shift to more abstract, charged imagery: "greasy hair / Of men in pointy shoes / Of jitterbug and dirty love." These phrases evoke a sense of perceived degeneracy or moral failing, again leading to the inevitable "They hissed and piss'd and they booed." The overall effect is a chilling portrayal of how individuals, whether artists, intellectuals, or those associated with certain aesthetics, can become targets of irrational, venomous public scorn, reduced to simplistic, hateful labels.
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