Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named "Crazy Game", with the B-side "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls released a six-track Extended play album named "Indigo Girls", and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present; they had first approached him when the EP album was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they were not likely to get a record deal.
They were signed to Epic Records in 1989 and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album later that year (for their self titled release) Some of their hit songs include "Galileo," "Closer to Fine," and "Shame on You."
Aside from being musicians, Ray and Saliers are activists, constantly supporting causes like gun control, women's rights, Native American rights, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty, and as lesbians themselves, LGBT rights. They constantly devote their time and money to such causes, often playing benefit concerts.
Ray and Saliers both have side projects. Ray owns and founded Daemon Records, an independent label based in Decatur. She also has a career as a solo artist, and has released two albums thus far. Saliers is the part owner of Watershed, a restaurant and wine bar in Decatur.
Together, the Indigo Girls are constantly touring. Their new album, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, was released March 24, 2009.
Scooter Boys
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Europe shed the blood of the Indians
Here I sit in the land of plenty
Crying about my own virginity
Hey blue blood you're nothing new
See I come from privilege too
A chapter in the book on the Americas
Scooter boys and Argentinians
Europe shed the blood of the Indians
Here I sit in the land of plenty
Crying about my own virginity
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Way down south where the Maya reign
Zapata reading poetry in his grave
They say we're stealing from the best
To feed the poor
Well they need more
Scooter boys and Argentinians
Europe shed the blood of the Indians
Here I sit in the land of plenty
Crying about my own virginity
Yeah
Yeah
Oh
Yeah
Yeah
The lyrics of Indigo Girls’s song, “Scooter Boys,” are rich with political commentary on colonialism and privilege in America. The opening lines, “Scooter boys and Argentinians/Europe shed the blood of the Indians,” sets the tone for the song. The reference to “scooter boys” may refer to the subculture of young men in the UK who ride motor scooters, which may represent working-class rebellion, or more broadly, an anti-establishment group that has been marginalized by mainstream society. The mention of Argentinians and Europe’s “shedding” of blood of the Indians may refer to the history of colonization, particularly in Latin America, where European colonizers brought disease, violence, and exploitation.
The following line, “Here I sit in the land of plenty/Crying about my own virginity,” suggests that the singer, who is privileged and living in America, is crying about a problem that pales in comparison to the crimes of colonialism. The next verse is particularly biting: “Hey blue blood you're nothing new/See I come from privilege too/A chapter in the book on the Americas/And your just another colonial terrorist.” Here, the singer acknowledges their own privilege, but also critiques those who come from “blue blood” or a wealthy, aristocratic lineage. The “book on the Americas” may refer to the history of colonialism and its various chapters, which have left a lasting legacy on the continent.
The final verse, “Way down south where the Maya reign/Zapata reading poetry in his grave/They say we're stealing from the best/To feed the poor/Well they need more,” again references Latin America, with the mention of the Maya civilization and the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. The line, “They say we’re stealing from the best/To feed the poor/Well they need more,” may refer to the idea that resources are being taken from the Global South to fuel the wealth of the Global North, yet even this exploitation isn’t enough to lift up those who are suffering in poverty. Overall, the song exposes the hypocrisy of those who claim to be oppressed while ignoring the larger, systemic injustices in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Scooter boys and Argentinians
The song starts with a reference to the marginalized scooter boys and Argentinians whose struggles are often ignored in society.
Europe shed the blood of the Indians
The line refers to Europe's colonial history in the Americas and how it came at a great cost to the native people who were exploited and massacred.
Here I sit in the land of plenty
The singer acknowledges the paradox of their life - living in a land of abundance, yet feeling unfulfilled and unhappy.
Crying about my own virginity
The phrase 'virginity' refers to something that is pure and untouched. In this context, the artist is lamenting the loss of innocence and purity that they feel they have lost in their privileged life.
Hey blue blood you're nothing new
The singer directly addresses the privileged person, suggesting that their high status is nothing new and has been enjoyed by many before them.
See I come from privilege too
The singer can relate to the person they are addressing, having also come from a privileged background themselves.
A chapter in the book on the Americas
The song acknowledges the history and legacy of colonization in the Americas and how it has impacted society to this day.
And you're just another colonial terrorist
The artist indicts the privileged person as being complicit in perpetuating the systems of inequality and oppression that exist in society.
Way down south where the Maya reign
The song shifts to reference the Maya people, a pre-Columbian civilization that inhabited parts of present-day Mexico and Central America.
Zapata reading poetry in his grave
Zapata was a key figure in the Mexican Revolution and the line refers to his spirit living on, even after his death.
They say we're stealing from the best
The song comments on how the privileged class takes cultural inspiration from marginalized groups, taking their compelling art forms while ignoring their struggles.
To feed the poor
The artist is highlighting the irony of how the oppressed are being exploited in order to help other oppressed people, when they should be given equal opportunities and respect.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY, EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind