Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist. The band's frontman, John Parish, became her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio called PJ Harvey and subsequently began her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two studio albums called Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further nine studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including Parish, former bandmate Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman, and has also worked extensively with record producer Flood.
Among the accolades Harvey has received are both the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), respectively, making her the only artist to have been awarded the prize twice. She has also garnered eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her three accolades: 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. Rolling Stone also listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on its list of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution To Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
The Ministry of Social Affairs
PJ Harvey Lyrics
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As the sky is darkening
Three lines of traffic are edging past
The ministry of social affairs
At a junction on the ground
An amputee and a pregnant hound
Sit by the young men with withered arms
As if death had already passed
Through every alleyway, and left
A million beggars silhouettes
Near where the money changers sit
By their locked glass cabinets
What has happened, let go and ask
The ministry of social affairs
Near where the money changers sit
By their locked glass cabinets
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money, honey
PJ Harvey's song "The Ministry of Social Affairs" is a poignant commentary on poverty and inequality. As the song opens, we see people "sitting in the rain" as the darkening sky and three lines of traffic surround them. We are at a junction on the ground, at the Ministry of Social Affairs where an amputee and a pregnant hound sit beside young men with withered arms. The scene looks like death has already passed, and the government institution tasked with helping the most vulnerable in society, the Ministry of Social Affairs, is silent and unresponsive. The song reveals a stark contrast between the plight of the people on the street and the money changers in their locked glass cabinets nearby. The song seems to ask: What has happened to our society, and why do the money changers get everything they want while so many others suffer?
As the chorus kicks in with the repeated refrain, "That's what they want, oh yeah, money, honey," we get a sense of the frustration and anger that underlies the song. The song is a condemnation of the greed and indifference that allow poverty and inequality to persist. The truth is in plain sight as the beggars' silhouettes cast eerie shadows along every alleyway. The lyrics suggest that those with less will never get what they need as long as those with more continue to hoard wealth.
Line by Line Meaning
See them sitting, in the rain
Observing people sitting and being soaked in the pouring rain
As the sky is darkening
As the sky gets darker in the evening
Three lines of traffic are edging past
Cars are moving slowly in three separate lanes
The ministry of social affairs
A government agency that aims to improve social welfare
At a junction on the ground
At a particular intersection on the street
An amputee and a pregnant hound
A person who has lost a limb and a female dog carrying offspring
Sit by the young men with withered arms
The two individuals mentioned in the previous line are seated close to young men who have poorly developed arms
As if death had already passed
They look like they have narrowly escaped death
Through every alleyway, and left
Every narrow street and side road
A million beggars silhouettes
Numerous poor people whose shadows are visible
Near where the money changers sit
Close to those who exchange currency
By their locked glass cabinets
By the cabinets used for currency exchange that are protected by glass that cannot be opened
What has happened, let go and ask
If something seems wrong, ask questions to find out what's going on
The ministry of social affairs
The social welfare office is responsible for these events
That's what they want, oh yeah
Money is their primary goal
Money, honey
A phrase indicating money is desirable
Lyrics © EMBASSY MUSIC CORPORATION, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JERRY MCCAIN, POLLY JEAN HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind