After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding of punk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
The White Stripes' discography consists of six studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one video album, 26 singles and fourteen music videos. The band has sold approximately 12 million albums worldwide, 2 million in the US alone, and their latest three albums have each won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
On February 2, 2011, the band announced on their website that they had disbanded.
Official band website: www.whitestripes.com
Big Three Killed My Baby
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No money in my hand again
The big three killed my baby
Nobody's comin' home again
Their ideas made me want to spit
A hundred dollars goes down the pit
Thirty thousand wheels are rollin'
Everything involved is shady
The big three killed my baby
Yeah yeah yeah
The big three killed my baby
No money in my hand again
The big three killed my baby
Nobody's comin' home again
Why don't you take the day off and try to repair
A billion others don't seem to care
Better ideas are stuck in the mud
The motors runnin' on tuckers blood
Don't let em tell you the futures electric
Cause gasoline's no measured in metric
Thirty thousand wheels are spinnin'
And oil company faces are grinnin'
Now my hands are turnin' red
And I found out my baby is dead
Yeah yeah yeah
The big three killed my baby
No money in my hand again
The big three killed my baby
Nobody's comin' home again
Well I've said it now
Nothing's changed
People are burnin' for pocket change
And creative minds are lazy
The big three killed your baby
The big three killed my baby
No money in my hand again
The big three killed my baby
Nobody's comin' home again
And my baby's my common sense
So don't feed me planned obsolescence
Yeah my baby's my common sense
So don't feed me planned obsolescence
I'm about to have another blowout
I'm about to have another blowout
"The Big Three Killed My Baby" is a protest song by The White Stripes. The "Big Three" referred to in the song are the three major car manufacturers in the United States: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. The song talks about how the car industry and its questionable practices have negatively affected the lives of ordinary people, leading to financial difficulties and the loss of loved ones.
The lyrics contain a sense of despair and frustration, as the singer feels helpless in the face of the powerful corporations. The lines "Their ideas made me want to spit" and "Everything involved is shady" suggest corruption and dishonesty in the industry. The mention of "thirty thousand wheels" and "oil company faces" highlights the environmental impact of the car industry, with companies profiting from the earth's resources while causing lasting damage.
The chorus, "The big three killed my baby / No money in my hand again / The big three killed my baby / Nobody's comin' home again," is a powerful indictment of the industry's greed and disregard for the lives of ordinary people. The song ends with a call to action, urging listeners not to accept the status quo and to fight for change.
Line by Line Meaning
The big three killed my baby
The three major automobile companies are responsible for the death of my loved one.
No money in my hand again
I am broke and unable to afford necessary expenses.
Nobody's comin' home again
My loved one is never coming back home.
Their ideas made me want to spit
The automobile companies' strategies and plans are displeasing to me.
A hundred dollars goes down the pit
I am spending a significant amount of money on gasoline with no return on investment.
Thirty thousand wheels are rollin'
There are countless cars on the roads, further amplifying the problems caused by the automobile industry.
And my stick shift hands are swollen
Driving a manual transmission car has taken a physical toll on my body.
Everything involved is shady
The practices of the automobile industry are unscrupulous and dubious.
Why don't you take the day off and try to repair
Instead of relying on consumerism, individuals should spend their time on fixing what they already have.
A billion others don't seem to care
Many individuals are indifferent to the issues caused by the automobile industry.
Better ideas are stuck in the mud
There are innovative, more sustainable alternatives to gasoline-powered cars that are not being given enough attention.
The motors runnin' on tuckers blood
The automobile industry is fueled by exploiting the labor of underpaid workers.
Don't let em tell you the futures electric
Do not be misled into thinking that electric cars are the sole solution to the problems caused by the automobile industry.
Cause gasoline's no measured in metric
The detrimental effects of gasoline-powered cars are not quantifiable in a universal metric system.
Thirty thousand wheels are spinnin'
As more and more cars are produced, the damage done by the automobile industry is magnified.
And oil company faces are grinnin'
The individuals responsible for the oil industry profit greatly off of the destruction caused by the automobile industry.
Now my hands are turnin' red
The artist is becoming infuriated with the status quo and the lack of change.
And I found out my baby is dead
The singer has discovered that their loved one has passed away.
People are burnin' for pocket change
Individuals who would otherwise be capable of creating innovative solutions are driven to work low-paying jobs in the automobile industry.
And creative minds are lazy
Individuals with potential to create change are not motivated to do so due to a lack of support and resources.
So don't feed me planned obsolescence
The artist is rejecting the idea that products should have a limited life span in order to encourage consumers to continuously buy new ones.
Yeah my baby's my common sense
The artist's loved one represents their guiding principles and moral compass.
I'm about to have another blowout
The singer is reaching a breaking point and is close to an emotional breakdown.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN ANTHONY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robyn
on Candy Cane Children
The meaning of this song is basically saying the older you get, the less fun Christmas becomes usually do to adulthood. The lines "don't you know your name?...", probably refers to the adults telling kids to grow up as if they're saying "Do you know how old you are? You're getting too old for this stuff." Probably why he put the lines "nobody knows how to talk to children". Also, he puts the lines "think again" after a thought of one of the kids thinking of wishing to participate in Christmas activities. As if they're thinking "Yeah I probably AM too old for this.." "364 more tears girl" the sadness of getting older. Not participating feels like a missed opportunity and causes even more sadness..