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
St. Ides of March
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't she lookin' fine
Ain't she lookin' fine
And she takes her time
Don't you walk away
Sweet potato pie
Sweet sugar plum
But look what you done
Don't you walk away
Ain't she lookin' good
Ain't she lookin' fine
Ain't she lookin' fine
And she takes her time
Don't you walk away
Sweet potato pie
Sweet sugar plum
Sweet sugar plum
But look what you done
Don't you walk away
Oh, no, oh
Ain't she lookin' good
Ain't she lookin' fine
Ain't she lookin' fine
And she takes her time
Don't you walk away
Sweet potato pie
Sweet sugar plum
Sweet sugar plum
But look what you done
Don't you walk away
Yeah! Yeah!
The lyrics of The White Stripes song "St. Ides of March" are open to interpretation. The song begins with the repetition of the phrase "ain't she lookin' good, ain't she lookin' fine,” which could potentially be referencing a person or object that the singer is admiring. The second part of the verse, "and she takes her time, don't you walk away" could indicate that the singer is captivated by this person or object and doesn't want to leave. In the next verse, the repetition of "sweet potato pie, sweet sugar plum" could communicate that the singer is savoring something that they find sweet and delicious.
However, the line "but look what you done" could suggest that this sweetness is bittersweet, and perhaps the object of the singer's admiration has caused them pain in some way. The repetition of the chorus and the final "yeah! yeah!" at the end of the song could indicate that the singer is trying to convince themselves of something, or trying to drown out their thoughts.
Overall, the ambiguous lyrics and repetitive nature of the song could suggest a certain amount of uncertainty or internal conflict within the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't she lookin' good
Isn't she attractive
Ain't she lookin' fine
Isn't she beautiful
Ain't she lookin' fine
Isn't she gorgeous
And she takes her time
She doesn't rush things
Don't you walk away
Don't leave me now
Sweet potato pie
A tasty dessert
Sweet sugar plum
A delicious fruit
Sweet sugar plum
A yummy treat
But look what you done
But see what you've caused
Don't you walk away
Don't abandon me
Oh, no, oh
An expression of dismay
Ain't she lookin' good
Isn't she attractive
Ain't she lookin' fine
Isn't she beautiful
Ain't she lookin' fine
Isn't she gorgeous
And she takes her time
She doesn't rush things
Don't you walk away
Don't leave me now
Sweet potato pie
A tasty dessert
Sweet sugar plum
A delicious fruit
Sweet sugar plum
A yummy treat
But look what you done
But see what you've caused
Don't you walk away
Don't abandon me
Yeah! Yeah!
An expression of agreement or excitement
Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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..