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
Instinct Blues
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the ants get it
I bet you the pigs get it
Yeah, even the plants get it
Come on now, and get with it
Yeah, I want you to get with it
Oh!
Yeah, I just want you to get with it
Cause everyone that´s under your shoe
And every bird and bug in the jungle, too
And everything in the ocean blue
They just happen to know exactly what to do
So why don´t you?
Yeah, why don´t you?
The flies get it
And the frogs get it
And all them big jungle cats get it
And I bet your little dog gets it
Yeah, I want you to get with it
Yeah, come on, and get with it
Whoo!
Yeah, I want you to get with it
Cause everyone that´s under your shoe
And every bird and bee in the jungle, too
And everything in the ocean blue
They just happen to know exactly what to do
So why don´t you? why don´t you?
And all the chickens get it
And them singing canaries get it
Whoo!
Even strawberries get it
I want you to get with it
Yeah, I want you to get with it
Yeah!
I want you to get with it
Cause everyone that´s under your shoe
And every bird and bee in the jungle, too
And everything in the ocean blue
They just happen to know exactly what to do
So why don´t you?
In the lyrics to The White Stripes's song Instinct Blues, the singer is urging the listener to "get with it," to follow their natural instincts just as all of the creatures in the world do. The repetition of different types of creatures - crickets, ants, pigs, plants, flies, frogs, jungle cats, birds, bugs, chickens, canaries, and strawberries - suggests that every living thing has an innate understanding of what to do and how to survive. Meanwhile, the listener is being called out for not following suit. The use of the phrase "under your shoe" highlights the power dynamic at play - the listener may see themselves as in control or dominant, but in reality, they are just another creature subject to the laws of nature.
The repetition of the phrase "get with it" adds urgency and insistence to the singer's message. They are not just encouraging the listener to consider this idea, but demanding that they take action. The fact that the singer includes plants and strawberries in the list of creatures with natural instincts suggests that they are not just talking about survival, but also growth and thriving in a broader sense.
Overall, the lyrics to Instinct Blues are a call to recognize our place in the natural world and embrace our own instincts rather than trying to exert control or power over others.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the crickets get it
Even crickets understand what to do
And the ants get it
Ants know what to do too
I bet you the pigs get it
Even pigs understand
Yeah, even the plants get it
Plants know what to do as well
Come on now, and get with it
Join in and figure it out
Yeah, I want you to get with it
It's important for you to understand
Oh!
Expressing excitement
Cause everyone that´s under your shoe
Every tiny being around you
And every bird and bug in the jungle, too
All the animals in the jungle know what to do
And everything in the ocean blue
Even creatures in the ocean know what to do
They just happen to know exactly what to do
They understand their nature and purpose
So why don´t you?
Why don't you understand your nature and purpose?
The flies get it
Flies also know what to do
And the frogs get it
Frogs know too
And all them big jungle cats get it
Even big cats understand their role
And I bet your little dog gets it
Even your pet dog understands what to do
Whoo!
Expressing excitement
Yeah, come on, and get with it
Join in and understand your nature
I want you to get with it
It's important for you to understand
And all the chickens get it
Even chickens know what to do
And them singing canaries get it
Even birds that sing know their role
Even strawberries get it
Even fruits understand their nature
Yeah, I want you to get with it
It's important for you to understand
Yeah!
Expressing excitement
Cause everyone that´s under your shoe
Every tiny being around you
And every bird and bee in the jungle, too
All the animals in the jungle understand their nature
And everything in the ocean blue
Even creatures in the ocean know their role
They just happen to know exactly what to do
They understand their nature and purpose
So why don´t you? why don´t you?
Why don't you understand your nature and purpose?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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..