Although much of DiFranco's material is autobiographical, it is often also strongly political. Many of her songs are concerned with contemporary social issues such as racism, sexism, sexual abuse, homophobia, reproductive rights, poverty, and war. DiFranco's guitar playing is often characterized by a signature staccato style, rapid finger picking and many alternate tunings. She delivers many of her lines in a speaking style notable for its rhythmic variation. Her lyrics, which often include alliteration, metaphor, word play and a more-or-less gentle irony, have also received praise for their sophistication. She has released 19 solo albums (not including collaborative albums or live albums), all of which were released on her own independent record label, Righteous Babe Records (which she formed in 1989 at the age of 19).
DiFranco has been a critical success for much of her career, though not a commercial one by major label standards, with a career album average of 72 on Metacritic. Living in Clip, DiFranco's 1998 double live album, is the only one to achieve gold record status to date. DiFranco has been praised by the Buffalo News as the "Buffalo's leading lady of rock music".
Little Plastic Castle
Ani DiFranco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
I picked up a magazine
Which is every magazine
Read a story, and then forgot it right away
They say goldfish have no memory
And the little plastic castle
Is a surprise every time
And it's hard to say if they're happy
But they don't seem much to mind
From the shape of your shaved head
I recognized your silhouette
As you walked out of the sun and sat down
And the sight of your sleepy smile
Eclipsed all the other people
As they paused to sneer at the two girls
From out of town
I said, look at you this morning
You are, by far, the cutest
But be careful getting coffee
I think these people wanna shoot us
Or maybe there's some kinda local competition here
To see who can be the rudest
People talk
About my image
Like I come in two dimensions
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind
Like what I happen to be wearing
The day that someone takes a picture
Is my new statement for all of womankind
I wish they could see us now
In leather bras and rubber shorts
Like some ridiculous new team uniform
For some ridiculous new sport
Quick, someone call the girl police
And file a report
In a coffee shop in a city
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
The opening lyrics of Ani DiFranco's song "Little Plastic Castle" set the scene in a coffee shop in a generic city that could be any city. The singer picks up a magazine, but quickly forgets what she read. Drawing a comparison to goldfish with no memory, the singer reflects on the fleeting nature of her own life. She observes a little plastic castle, which is a new surprise every time, and wonders if the goldfish are happy in their small world. The song then shifts focus to the arrival of someone the singer recognizes by their silhouette, and the sight of their smile puts them in orbit above the other people in the shop. The singer comments on the rude behavior of the locals and the scrutiny that women face for their appearance. She wishes people could see her and her friend in their unconventional outfits - leather bras and rubber shorts that resemble new team uniforms. The song ends where it began, in the coffee shop that could be anywhere, on any day.
Line by Line Meaning
In a coffee shop in a city
The songwriter is in a coffee shop that is like any other in any city.
Which is every coffee shop in every city
The coffee shop is just like any other coffee shop in any other city.
On a day which is every day
The day is like any other day and there is nothing special about it.
I picked up a magazine
The songwriter took a magazine from the coffee shop to read.
Which is every magazine
The magazine is like any other magazine and there is nothing special about it.
Read a story, and then forgot it right away
The songwriter read a story from the magazine, but forgot about it quickly.
They say goldfish have no memory
This line is a comparison to show how forgetful the songwriter is. Goldfish are known for having a short memory span.
I guess their lives are much like mine
The songwriter believes that goldfish and her have similarities in the way they live and forget things.
And the little plastic castle
This line is about how the coffee shop is like a little plastic castle that surprises her every time she is there.
Is a surprise every time
The coffee shop is always a surprise to her, even though she's been there multiple times.
And it's hard to say if they're happy
This line is about the people in the coffee shop. She can't tell if they are happy, but they don't seem to mind anything either.
But they don't seem much to mind
Even though the people aren't happy, they don't seem to be too bothered either.
From the shape of your shaved head
The songwriter sees someone with a shaved head and recognizes them by that feature.
I recognized your silhouette
The songwriter recognizes the person who walked in because of their distinct shape.
As you walked out of the sun and sat down
The person who walked in was in the sun, and then they sat down.
And the sight of your sleepy smile
The person who walked in had a smile that looked like they were tired and just woke up.
Eclipsed all the other people
The person's sleepy smile made them stand out from the others in the coffee shop.
As they paused to sneer at the two girls
Other people in the coffee shop sneered at two girls who were not from around there.
From out of town
The two girls that were sneered at were not from that city
I said, look at you this morning
The songwriter compliments the person who walked in on how they looked that day.
You are, by far, the cutest
The songwriter thinks that the person she's talking to is the cutest person in the coffee shop.
But be careful getting coffee
The songwriter warns the person she's speaking to that people might try to harm them.
I think these people wanna shoot us
The songwriter thinks that the people in the coffee shop might want to hurt them.
Or maybe there's some kinda local competition here
The songwriter thinks that there is a competition for who can be the rudest in that city.
To see who can be the rudest
The songwriter thinks that people in that city compete with each other to see who can be the rudest.
People talk
This line is about how people talk about the songwriter.
About my image
People talk about the way the songwriter presents herself to others.
Like I come in two dimensions
People think that the songwriter only has two sides to her personality or appearance.
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind
People think that wearing lipstick means that the songwriter is losing her intelligence or mind.
Like what I happen to be wearing
People judge the songwriter based on what she is wearing.
The day that someone takes a picture
This line is about how people take pictures of famous people and judge them based on what they're wearing that day.
Is my new statement for all of womankind
People think that the way the songwriter presents herself is a statement for all women.
I wish they could see us now
The songwriter wishes that people who judge her could see how ridiculous they are being.
In leather bras and rubber shorts
The songwriter and the girls she's with are all wearing leather bras and rubber shorts, which is not considered normal attire.
Like some ridiculous new team uniform
The songwriter and her friends look like they are wearing ridiculous new team uniforms.
For some ridiculous new sport
The songwriter and her friends look like they are dressed up for a sport that doesn't exist.
Quick, someone call the girl police
This line is sarcastic and implies that people might call the police because of how the songwriter and her friends look.
And file a report
This line is also sarcastic and implies that people might think that the songwriter and her friends are doing something wrong, so they should file a report.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ANI DIFRANCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Micha Lindstrom
In a coffee shop in a city
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
I picked up the magazine
Which is every magazine
Read a story, then I forgot it right away
And they say, "Goldfish have no memory"
I guess their lives are much like mine
And the little plastic castle
Is a surprise every time
And it's hard to say, if they're happy
But they don't seem much to mind
From the shape of your shaved head
I recognized your silhouette
As you walked out of the sun and sat down
And the sight of your sleepy smile
Eclipsed all the other people
As they paused to sneer at the two girls from out of town
I said, look at you this morning
You are, by far, the cutest
But be careful getting coffee
I think these people want to shoot us
Or maybe there's some kind of local competition here
To see who can be the rudest
And people talk about my image
Like I come in two dimensions
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind
Like what I happen to be wearing
The day that someone takes a picture
Is my new statement for all of womankind
And I wish they could see us now
In leather bras and rubber shorts
Like some ridiculous new team uniform
For some ridiculous new sport
Quick someone call the girl police
And, and file a report
In a coffee shop in a city
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
*Lyrics from Google Play
James Neall
People that haven't heard Ani are very unfortunate. Its sad really. Ani Difranco is freaking amazing!!!
Micha Lindstrom
In a coffee shop in a city
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
I picked up the magazine
Which is every magazine
Read a story, then I forgot it right away
And they say, "Goldfish have no memory"
I guess their lives are much like mine
And the little plastic castle
Is a surprise every time
And it's hard to say, if they're happy
But they don't seem much to mind
From the shape of your shaved head
I recognized your silhouette
As you walked out of the sun and sat down
And the sight of your sleepy smile
Eclipsed all the other people
As they paused to sneer at the two girls from out of town
I said, look at you this morning
You are, by far, the cutest
But be careful getting coffee
I think these people want to shoot us
Or maybe there's some kind of local competition here
To see who can be the rudest
And people talk about my image
Like I come in two dimensions
Like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind
Like what I happen to be wearing
The day that someone takes a picture
Is my new statement for all of womankind
And I wish they could see us now
In leather bras and rubber shorts
Like some ridiculous new team uniform
For some ridiculous new sport
Quick someone call the girl police
And, and file a report
In a coffee shop in a city
Which is every coffee shop in every city
On a day which is every day
*Lyrics from Google Play
Manuel Santos
Ani DiFranco - VH1: Hard Rock Live - Little Plastic Castle, Fuel, As Is, Jukebox & Swan Dive (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyD4U0fBXqk
Stay well!
Karen Van Leuven
Micha Lindstrom d
Karen Van Leuven
Micha Lindstrom x
Tommy Petraglia
Someone call the Grrl Police and file a report.
That drop at the end gets me everytime.
It's like I'm breathless the entire song then exhale on that note.
Heart rendering. Fantastic
GWHinCA
One of the best songs ever written IMO. Lyrical cinematography at its finest.
good! tails doll [redemption au]
this song is better than most music now... we need more songs like this one.
Kevin Stone
A hippo farting is better than most Chart songs now
JohnGalt
@Aaron Kosinski so you not liking the lyrics makes this song “garbage” ? I hope you’ve grown the fuck up since then.