“Vagabond Ways” by Marianne Faithfull

Even though Marianne Faithfull relays “Vagabond Ways” primarily from a first-person perspective, the subject is actually another individual. And that would be, most simply put, a female victim of Sweden’s eugenics’ policies, which remained legal up until the mid-1970s. More specifically, the country committed involuntary serializations on tens of thousands of individuals from the 1930s into the 1970s. 

And amongst the characteristics that were sought after in terms of those would be sterilized where people who exhibited “vagabond ways”. And such is the character whom the vocalist is portraying.

Yes, I’m a Vagabond

Of course one being considered to practice a ‘vagabond lifestyle’ is a vague designation in and of itself. And defining such is ultimately the argument that lies at the heart of the discussion the vocalist is having with the doctor tasked with sterilizing her, as well as the authorities who have judged it necessary to do so. 

Or rather let’s say who they deem as a “vagabond” is more based on concepts of morality than anything else. And in that regard the narrator acknowledges, albeit somewhat mockingly, that yes, she is less than perfect. For instance, she does have an affinity for intoxicants, i.e. alcohol and drugs. Moreover she digs sex and in true vagabond fashion has a tendency to “move around a lot”. Additionally she already had a child in fact, at the tender age of 14.  So she’s able to conclude that perhaps she does possess generally “vagabond ways”. 

But at the same time she doesn’t want the doctor to take away her ability to have children in the future.

And so it is with the main authorities also. If they will just let her go she would “take a ship across the sea” and “never come back”. The vocalist knows that she is “young… poor and… afraid”, i.e. an undesirable in their eyes. But if they were to show the young lady mercy by releasing her, she promises not to upset them in any way, shape or form, as in crossing paths with these figures ever again. 

So even if she doesn’t intend to actually travel, she likely plans on disappearing from the public eye or perhaps more plausibly altering her behavior, i.e. rehabilitating, so that they won’t have any reason to pick on her again.

In Conclusion

The reason we can postulate that the main subject of this song is a young lady because this incident, as relayed by Marianne Faithfull, is something that happened “a long time ago”. And said individual still went on to ‘die of the drink and drugs’ anyway. 

So the conclusive implication is that despite pleading with the authorities, they sterilized her nonetheless. And perhaps the associated depression prevented her from rehabilitating, even though she may have wanted to. 

Or let’s put it like this – if govvie was truly anti-vagabond, then perhaps they should have focused on rehabilitating the subject as opposed to sterilizing her. And even though Faithfull may have based this song specifically on Sweden’s government, of course we know that compulsory eugenics’ programs are events that occurred in various places, even the United States.

“Vagabond Ways” Facts

Artist(s): Marianne Faithfull
Writing: Faithfull and David Courts worked together to write this song
Production: Daniel Lanois and Mark Howard
Release: April 14 of 1999
Album/EP: “Vagabond Ways”

Was “Vagabond Ways” a single release?

 No.

Marianne Faithfull’s “Vagabond Ways”

Vagabond Ways, the first song on Marianne Faithfull’s 1999 album that shares the same name with the album, Vagabond Ways, was released in April 1999. The album was wholly recorded at Teatro studios, Oxnard, in July 1998. It was released by EMI on April 14, 1999. Renowned Canadian record producers Daniel Lanois and Mark Howard produced the album.

The song Vagabond Ways gained massive success because it was the top song on the album and shared the same name.

The album is a balladry-like extension of Marianne’s neo-cabaret persona that seeks to interpret songs by herself. It featured renowned composers and songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Frank McGuinness, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, Daniel Lanois, Bernie Taupin, and Elton John. Marianne also co-wrote some of the songs on the album.

It was a complete rock album, with tracks having emotional, dramatic, and poetic lyrics. The original release has 11 songs, but the Japanese version released later has an additional song, Blood In My Eyes, composed by Marianne.

She stated she was inspired to compose the Vagabond Ways song after hearing about Sweden’s government sterilization of “undesirables,” which lasted until the 1970s.

Forced Sterilization of the “Unwanted” in Sweden

Between 1930 and the late 1970s, Swedish authorities subjected some of its citizens whom they classified unworthy and unfit for society to forced unapproved sterilization.

This practice was legalized in 1935. It’s aim was to cease reproduction among the disabled, mentally unstable, poor, assumed racially flawed, and slightly diverse groups.

Aside from the large percentage of males that fell into these categories, many native American, African American, Hispanic women, and single women with many kids, fell into the racially flawed bracket.

This, at the time, was not only practiced in Sweden but in other countries such as the following:

• United States of America
• Belgium
• Germany
• Norway
• Finland

The sterilization process involved removing the reproductive capacity of a person. This process was done surgically most of the time on both men and women. The medical term for the procedure for men was a vasectomy, while the women underwent tubal litigations.

In order to get the test subjects for these procedures without violence, victims were often coerced without fully understanding the sterilization process.

The motive behind this practice was to preserve the position of the supposed dominant race in Sweden. The practice was declared unlawful by 1976.