The Big Three Killed My Baby
The White Stripes Lyrics


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The big three killed my baby
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'
And my stick shift hands are swollen
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

Overall Meaning

The White Stripes' song "The Big Three Killed My Baby" is a protest song that highlights the negative impact that the big three car manufacturers, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler had on the American automobile industry. The lyrics suggest that these companies were responsible for the death of the singer's beloved baby due to the inevitability of spending a fortune purchasing and maintaining a car that barely lasted.


The opening lines of the song, "The big three killed my baby, no money in my hand again," suggest the dire financial situation that many Americans found themselves in, as the significant expenses associated with owning a car made it challenging to achieve financial stability. The phrase "their ideas made me want to spit" is a clear indication of the singer's resentment and disgust towards the automobile industry's planned obsolescence strategies that led to the production of cars destined to wear out quickly.


The lyrics further emphasize the betrayal and the lack of concern for the American consumer. The chorus, "nobody's coming home again," suggests a sense of isolation and lost faith in the government and the industry. The song concludes by repeating the line "The big three killed my baby, no money in my hand again" several times, reinforcing the feelings of financial stress, isolation and hopelessness.


Line by Line Meaning

The big three killed my baby
The dominance of three large corporations in the automotive industry caused the death of my loved one.


No money in my hand again
I am broke and unable to afford basic necessities.


Nobody's comin' home again
My loved one will never return home due to the fatal consequences of the actions of the big three corporations.


Their ideas made me want to spit
The ideas and practices of the big three corporations are disgusting and repulsive to me.


A hundred dollars goes down the pit
My hard-earned money is being wasted and consumed by the greed of these corporations.


Thirty thousand wheels are rollin'
The sheer scale and magnitude of the automotive industry is enormous.


And my stick shift hands are swollen
I have physically suffered from working with the antiquated machinery of this industry for too long.


Everything involved is shady
There is a lot of corruption and unethical behavior in the automotive industry.


Why don't you take the day off and try to repair
Instead of incessantly producing new cars, try fixing the existing ones.


A billion others don't seem to care
Despite the large number of people affected by the actions of the big three corporations, most seem apathetic or unaware.


Better ideas are stuck in the mud
Innovative and sustainable ideas are being ignored or suppressed in favor of profit-driven modes of production.


The motors runnin' on tuckers blood
Cars run on the fuel that is destroying the environment and contributing to the overall damage of our planet.


Don't let em tell you the futures electric
The idea that electric cars are the future is oversimplified and ignores the underlying systemic issues and inequities in the automotive industry.


Thirty thousand wheels are spinnin'
The sheer scale and magnitude of the automotive industry is enormous.


And oil company faces are grinnin'
The damage done by the automotive industry benefits oil companies, and they profit from the destruction of our planet.


Now my hands are turnin' red
I have been physically harmed and am suffering from working in this industry for too long.


And I found out my baby is dead
I learned that my loved one has died as a direct result of the actions of the big three corporations.


People are burnin' for pocket change
The exploitative practices of the automotive industry are causing immense suffering and even death for some people.


And creative minds are lazy
Instead of innovating and improving the industry, many are content to maintain the status quo and collect a paycheck.


So don't feed me planned obsolescence
I am tired of being forced to constantly buy new, unnecessary cars due to the intentional design of planned obsolescence.


I'm about to have another blowout
I am close to reaching my breaking point and rebelling against the oppressive and harmful practices of the automotive industry.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN ANTHONY WHITE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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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..

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