So What Else is New?

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with Sam warning Katz about a woman, predicting she "walk all over you." Katz dismisses the concern with a flippant "stop being so catty!" This immediate exchange establishes a dynamic of exasperated advice versus cynical resignation. The scene is set for a darkly humorous look at predictable patterns. Sam then launches into a litany of Katz's past vows and subsequent failures. He reminds Katz of promises like "never fall again" and "won't be depressed again," contrasting them with current states of being "cowed" or "beating your chest again." Katz's consistent, almost defiant, response – "True! So what else is new?" – highlights a profound, self-aware fatalism, suggesting he sees his own cyclical mistakes as an unchangeable aspect of his character. The clever wordplay around feline imagery is a standout craft element. From Sam's initial "catty" jab to his later description of Katz's ex-wife as a "pussycat" with "long, sexy whiskers," the lyrics build to the punchline of a potential "cat-tastrophe!" These puns inject a layer of comedic irony into the otherwise bleak assessment of Katz's romantic prospects. Furthermore, Katz's interjections of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ira Gershwin lyrics suggest a sophisticated, almost performative, intellectual detachment from his own predicaments. This call-and-response structure, coupled with the contrasting personalities, makes the lyrics effective. Sam's detailed, almost poetic, descriptions of Katz's repeated downfalls – from "braving that squall again" to being "totally trapped again" – are met with Katz's unwavering, almost philosophical, acceptance. It's a poignant, yet humorous, exploration of how some individuals, despite knowing better, seem destined to repeat their mistakes, finding a strange comfort or identity in that very predictability.