Song Meaning
Very, Very, Very (Encore)" offers a stark, cynical take on the intersection of extreme wealth and personal relationships. The lyrics immediately link being "very wedded" to being "very, very, very prosperous." It suggests that immense riches can fundamentally alter the nature of commitment and morality.
The central tension here lies in how absolute financial power seems to grant a disturbing kind of impunity. The narrator describes a wealthy individual who can "sublimate your passion" on others, only to then "toss them legally in the Bosporus." This chilling image highlights a world where money not only buys influence but seemingly redefines what is permissible.
The craft is particularly sharp in its use of specific, unsettling imagery. The casual mention of "Balkan or Circassian" figures, followed by their "legal" disposal, is designed to shock. It's a stark, almost throwaway line that underscores the dehumanizing potential of unchecked affluence, where individuals become mere objects of transient desire, easily discarded.
The effectiveness of these lyrics comes from their unflinching, satirical gaze at privilege. The escalating repetition of "very" in "very, very, very, very rich" emphasizes the sheer scale of wealth that enables such behavior. Even in "costly dotage," the wealthy individual revisits "memoirs" with a self-satisfied "Boy! What memoirs them was!", suggesting a life of power, not necessarily virtue, is the ultimate reward.
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