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
China Pig
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My China pig
I don't want to kill
My China pig
Man's gotta live
Man's gotta eat
Gotta have shoes for walkin'
On his feet
I don't want to kill
My China pig
Used to go to school
With a little red box
I used to have a dog with me
We'd walk for blocks
I don't want to kill
My China pig
I don't want to kill
My China pig
The lyrics of "China Pig" by The White Stripes feature Jack White singing about a personal moral dilemma, wondering if he wants to go through with killing his China pig in order to have food to eat and shoes to wear. He's struggling with the decision because he knows that he needs these things to live, but he also has an attachment to the pig as a living being. The second verse of the song is more nostalgic, as Jack remembers his childhood and the people and animals that were a part of his life at that time, further highlighting the emotional conflict he is experiencing.
The lyrics of "China Pig" are ambiguous and open to interpretation. Some have suggested that the pig is a metaphor for something else entirely, such as the music industry or even Jack's own artistic persona, and that the song is about the difficulty of balancing the need to make art with the sacrifices that come with that lifestyle. Others have seen it as a commentary on the meat industry and the ethical issues surrounding the treatment of animals. Regardless of the interpretation, "China Pig" is a powerful song that highlights the complexity of the choices we make, and the lingering emotional impact they can have.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to kill
I have no desire to take the life of another living being
My China pig
Referring to a pig that has been imported from China
Man's gotta live
It is a necessity to be alive
Man's gotta eat
One must consume food to survive
Gotta have shoes for walkin'
Good footwear is necessary for comfortable and effective walking
On his feet
Referring to the person mentioned in the previous line
Used to go to school
In the past, I attended educational institutions
With a little red box
Accompanied by a small container of some sort, colored red
I used to have a dog with me
I once owned a pet canine that accompanied me
We'd walk for blocks
The dog and I would stroll around the neighborhood
I don't want to kill
Repetition of the earlier statement about refusing to end a life
My China pig
Reiteration of the earlier reference to the Chinese pig and the unwillingness to harm it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Don Van Vliet
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..