Jenny and the Ess-Dog
Stephen Malkmus Lyrics


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Jennifer dates a man in a 60s cover band
He’s the ess-dog, or sean if you wish
She’s 18, he’s 31
She’s a rich girl, he’s the son
Of a coca-cola middle man

Kiss when they listen
To brothers in arms
And if there’s something wrong with this
They don’t see the harm
In joining their forces and singing along

See those rings on her toes check that frisbee in his volvo
It’s a volvo with ancient plates
They’ve got a dog she named trey
A retriever with a frayed bandana around his neck

Trey has a window into their relationship
The baby talk voices
And the post class-a nasal drip
But it all seems to function
At least in her dog’s mind

Let me out of here
Let me out of here
You got to let me out of here
You got to let me out of here
Let me out of here
Out of here
Out of here, out of here
Let me out of here ill hit the ground running

Jennifer left for school up in boulder
And the ess-dog came to visit when he could
But the strain was too much
They could not make up for distance
And the distance between their years

Neither one listens
To brothers in arms
The ess-dog waits tables
And he sold his guitar
Jenny pledged kappa and she started pre-law




And off came those awful toe rings
Off came those awful toe rings

Overall Meaning

Stephen Malkmus’s song “Jenny and the Ess-Dog” is a poignant commentary on a relationship that is doomed by age, class, and distance. The lyrics describe a young woman named Jenny who is dating a man known as the Ess-Dog, or Sean, who is part of a 60s cover band. Jenny is 18 and comes from a wealthy family, while the Ess-Dog is 31 and the son of a Coca-Cola middleman. Despite these differences, they are able to find common ground in their love for music, as they sing along to Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms.” The lyrics paint a picture of their relationship, including the details of their car, their dog Trey, and the frayed bandana around his neck, which serves as a window into their affectionate baby talk and drug habits.


The second verse takes a darker turn, however, as Jenny goes off to college in Boulder, and the Ess-Dog struggles to make ends meet as a waiter. The strain of their age difference and distance becomes too much to bear, and the relationship ultimately crumbles. The final lyrics (“Let me out of here, I’ll hit the ground running”) suggest that the singer is eager to escape from the pain and heartbreak of the situation.


Overall, the song offers a searing critique of a relationship that is held together by tenuous threads of superficial attraction but ultimately cannot withstand the test of time and distance.


Line by Line Meaning

Jennifer dates a man in a 60s cover band
Jennifer is in a romantic relationship with a man who is a member of a band that plays music from the 1960s.


He's the ess-dog, or sean if you wish
The man Jennifer is dating goes by the nickname 'ess-dog' but his real name is Sean.


She's 18, he's 31
Jennifer is 18 years old while the man she is dating is 31 years old.


She's a rich girl, he's the son, of a coca-cola middle man
Jennifer comes from a wealthy background while the man she is dating is the son of someone who worked in the middle management of Coca-Cola.


Kiss when they listen, to brothers in arms, and if there's something wrong with this, they don't see the harm, in joining their forces and singing along
When they listen to the song 'Brothers in Arms' and kiss, it doesn't occur to them that there's anything wrong with their relationship and they continue to enjoy each other's company.


See those rings on her toes check that frisbee in his volvo, it's a volvo with ancient plates
Jennifer wears rings on her toes and there's a frisbee in the old Volvo that the man she is dating drives.


They've got a dog she named trey, a retriever with a frayed bandana around his neck
They have a dog named Trey who is a retriever with a worn bandana around his neck.


Trey has a window into their relationship, the baby talk voices, and the post class-a nasal drip, but it all seems to function, at least in her dog's mind
Trey the dog can hear and observe how they interact with each other, including their high-pitched baby talk voices and the man's drug use, but the dog seems unfazed by it all and their relationship seems to work for him.


Let me out of here, let me out of here, you got to let me out of here, you got to let me out of here, let me out of here, out of here, out of here, out of here, let me out of here ill hit the ground running
The singer wants to break free from the situation he is in and start anew.


Jennifer left for school up in boulder, and the ess-dog came to visit when he could, but the strain was too much, they could not make up for distance, and the distance between their years
Jennifer went to college in Boulder and it was difficult for her and the man she was dating to maintain their relationship due to the distance and their age difference.


Neither one listens, to brothers in arms, the ess-dog waits tables, and he sold his guitar, Jenny pledged kappa and she started pre-law, and off came those awful toe rings, off came those awful toe rings
Neither Jennifer nor the man she was dating are interested in listening to 'Brothers in Arms' anymore. The man had to sell his guitar and works as a waiter while Jennifer joined a sorority and started studying pre-law. She took off the toe rings she used to wear.




Contributed by Aubrey G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@0Ambiental0

Jennifer dates a man in a sixties cover band
He's the Ess-Dog, Sean if you wish
She's eighteen, he's thirty-one
She's a rich girl, he's a son of a Coca-Cola middle man

Kiss when they listen to "Brothers in Arms"
And if there's something wrong with this
They don't see the harm
In joining their forces and singing along

See those rings on her toes?
Check that frisbee and his Volvo
It's a Volvo with ancient plates
They've got a dog she named Trey
A retriever with a frayed bandana 'round his neck

Trey has a window into their relationship
The baby-talk voices and the post class A nasal trip
But it all seems to function
At least in the dog's mind

Let me out of here
Let me out of here
You got to let me out of here
You got to let me out of here
Let me out of here, out of here, out of here, out of here
Let me out of here
Running
Running
Running
Running

Jennifer left for school up in Boulder
And that Ess-Dog came to visit when he could
But the strain was too much
They could not make up for distance
And the distance between their years

Neither one listens to "Brothers in Arms"
And the Ess-Dog waits tables and he sold his guitar
Jenny pledged Kappa and she started Pre-Law
And off came those awful toe rings
Off came those awful toe rings



All comments from YouTube:

@dnon75

I really admire people like Steve Malkmus. He is such a bright person who could have had a successful career in anything but he chose to make songs and videos of him running around indian statues with a lacrosse stick.

@cxssetteman182

That's what Keeping it real means 😌

@inmasj0ns

Icu2_999_hotel_hotel technically native american

@brotherbp

Did Stephen's mom write this?

@brndnryn

SM is 1:1 and long may he live

@westwardduck

I had no idea I would still be listening to Stephen Malkmus in 2017 when I went out on a limb as a 14 year old kid and bought Crooked Rain. Malkmus is easily one of my generation's best songwriters.

@samuelechiarelli9594

Yeah because music today sucks and none came with interesting new things, no creativity, no real music

@flip65515

Why didn't you think you'd be listening? Did you ever stop listening to the fucking Beatles 50 years after they broke up? Maybe you don't fancy the Beatles. But pick one.

@TheRandomCentral

Malkmus is a genius. Really, the guy hasn't ever released anything bad.

@exexalien

Love this song. Picturing a guy who introduces himself to people as "the Ess-dog, or Sean if you wish" sets the scene for the rest of the song so perfectly, and from there it's just a matter of waiting for this summer fling to end (and for those awful toe rings to come off).    

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