Rag and Bone by The White Stripes Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Salvage Anthem of an Era
Lyrics
Rag and bone!
Rag and bone!
Rag and bone!
Rag and bone!
[Jack White]
Meg, look at this place.
[Meg White]
What? Woo…
[Jack White]
Well, this place is like a mansion!
It’s like a mansion, look at all this stuff!
[Meg White]
I dunno…
[Jack White]
Look, I see something over there
[Meg White]
Woo…
[Jack White]
Man…
Well, could you ever sell it rag and bone?
Bring out your junk and we’ll give it a home
A broken trumpet or a telephone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Yeah
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Oh, rag and bone
Rag and bone
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to me
Oh, looking pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
[Jack White]
Well, man, look at all this, you don’t want it?
[Meg White]
Mmm, ooo, I could use that.
[Jack White]
You sure you don’t want it, man? I could use… take it.
It’s just things you don’t want – I can use ’em; Meg can use ’em;
We can do something with ’em; we’ll make something out of ’em,
Make some money out of ’em at least.
[Meg White]
Mmm-hmm, this fits me perfect.
Give it to me.
[Jack White]
Hey, if you ain’t gonna use it, just give it to us.
We’ll give it a home.
Well, have they got something shiny for me?
Anybody got a Christmas tree?
Can you party with a toilet seat?
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Rag and bone
We wanna get it, granny, while it’s hot
You think it’s trash, granny, but it’s not
Oh, we’ll be taking whatever you got
Ah, give up, ah, give up, ah, give up
Come on and give it to me
Woo!
Oh, looking pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
[Meg White]
I saw some stuff in your yard; are you gonna give it to us?
[Jack White]
Ah, Meg, don’t be rude
[Meg White]
Or not?
[Jack White]
They might need it.
If you don’t want it, we’ll take it.
If you don’t wanna give it to us, we’ll keep walking by.
We’ll keep going; we’re not tired.
Got plenty of places to go, lots of homes we ain’t been to yet
On the west side, the south-west side, Middle East, rich house, dog house, outhouse
Old folks’ house, house for unwed mothers, halfway homes, catacombs, twilight zones.
Look at what techniques turn tables to gramophones.
So take a last lick of your ice-cream cone
And lock up what you still wanna own
But please be kind (take your time)
And don’t rewind (it’s fine)…
All of your pretty
Your pretty little rags and bones
Yeah, your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, jump up, ah, jump up, ah, jump up
Come on and give it to me
Oh, your pretty little rags and bones
Ah, come on, ah, come on, ah, come on
Come on and give it to us!
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Oh yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
At the crossroads of garage rock resurgence and modern blues, The White Stripes’ ‘Rag and Bone’ is an enigmatic celebration of one person’s trash being another’s treasure. With its raw guitar riffs and pounding drums, the song is a standout track from the 2007 album ‘Icky Thump,’ channeling the band’s signature minimalist frenzy.
Jack and Meg White, the eclectic duo behind the powerhouse that is The White Stripes, dive deep into the rag-and-bone trade of yesteryears, painting a vivid portrayal of the hustling spirit against a crumbling American dream. But beyond the surface rattle and hum, the song weaves a much deeper tale of society, value, and the overlooked worth of what we discard.
Junkyard Symphony: The Art of Reclamation
The rhythmic chant of ‘Rag and bone!’ that opens the song is not just an attention grabber; it serves as a harking back to the historic rag-and-bone men who collected unwanted household items. The White Stripes invoke this image to comment on the throwaway culture, urging us to reconsider the potential of what we deem useless.
‘Well, this place is like a mansion!’ exclaims Jack, pointing towards the vast wealth hidden within what others might call debris. It’s a metaphorical shout-out to the beauty and utility in what’s been neglected, challenging the trend of disposable consumerism.
A Dance of Dialogue: Jack and Meg’s Banter
The call-and-response interplay between Jack and Meg White isn’t just comical banter, it’s a narrative device that grounds the song in human interaction and the age-old barter system. While Jack is the eager beaver, Meg’s coy reluctance adds to the charm and whimsy of their on-song personas.
Their conversation holds a mirror to our interactions with material possessions, how we covet, discard, and sometimes, rediscover their worth. This dynamic back-and-forth creates a theatrical piece out of their musical scavenging.
Polishing the Discarded: The Hidden Meaning
‘Rag and Bone’ is steeped in the allegory of reclaiming not just physical items, but also the lost pieces of self, the discarded parts of society, and the forgotten values. The White Stripes use the motif of ‘junk’ to symbolize our diminished connection with the tangible world amidst the digital age’s crescendo.
In a broader spectrum, Jack and Meg’s rag-and-bone route through varied locales hints at the ubiquity of neglect and the universality of recovery. Where ‘old folks’ house, house for unwed mothers, halfway homes’ represent the margins of society, their treasures too can be polished to shine anew.
Unforgettable Lyrics: ‘Make Some Money Out of ‘Em at Least’
Amidst the incessant ‘ah, come on’s and earworm chants, lies the crux of the song’s appeal – the notion that there is value in everything, and savvy can turn the worthless worthy. When Jack suggests, ‘We can do something with ’em; we’ll make something out of ’em, make some money out of ’em at least,’ he encapsulates the spirit of entrepreneurship and resourcefulness.
The line telegraphs an era where repurposing and upcycling are not just trendy but necessary, reflecting a shared resilience in the face of wastefulness. It’s a sly nod to the capitalist drive but laced with ingenuity and sustainability.
Closing Notes: The Final Chant
As ‘Rag and Bone’ reaches its fervent finale, with the mantra-like repetition rallying towards a climactic end, listeners are left to ponder their own ‘rags and bones.’ The last lingering cries for the unwanted scraps are a powerful reminder of the cyclical nature of value and relevance.
The song hoots and hollers to a close, much like the ceaseless march of time and the endless possibilities that reside in what we leave behind. It’s a poetic conclusion to a track that is as much a raucous jam as it is a think piece on consumption, legacy, and reinvention.
