poor kids dressing like they're rich, rich kids dressing like they're poor, white kids talking like they're black

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lyrics from the new libertines album on a song called campaign of hate. i havent quite decided who is being more hateful here, they who attack those who follow the leader or those who do the (allegedly sheep-like) following. the rich kids dressing like theyre poor thing seems to sum up most indie rock (and thus libetines) fans, the white kids line seems to be aimed at those who the indie kids like to think theyre superior to, and the poor kids dressing like theyre rich thing seems to be somewhat patronising. what should they be wearing? oxfam cut offs?

Campaign Of Hate

There's a campaign of hate
Its waiting at the school gates
For what I am not aware
Whisper what you wrote
What you write, you swore and you swear
Now remember why you came
Not to play follow the leader, no no

Poor kids dressing like they're rich
Rich kids dressing like they're poor
White kids talking like they're black
I tried it with Charlene
And I spent three days on my back

But she said baby...
I like the cut of your J.I.B.
Don't believe them when they say
That you don't get nothing for free

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Libertines hate chavs shockah.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:35 (twenty-one years ago)

are those the entire lyrics of the song? that's really rubbish.

― pete b. (pete b.), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

One would have thought that Pulp's "Common People" was the last (musical) word on "rich kids dressing like they're poor."

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 16 August 2004 10:39 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, the lyrics peter out. starts off well but goes nowhere.

marcello is quite right.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Aye, Marcello OTM.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:41 (twenty-one years ago)

".... the poor kids dressing like theyre rich thing seems to be somewhat patronising. what should they be wearing? oxfam cut offs?"

A reference to all-to-prevalent phenomenon of poor families ending up in hoc up to their eyeballs because their kids have to have designer clothes and trainers to fit in with their mates, perhaps?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

im quite aware of the phenomenon, but any teenager, regardless of their families income, wants to stay as up to date with their rabid consumerism as their mates, who want to stay as up to date with rabid consumerism as other kids they think they need to stay up to date with. its what teenagers do.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Now remember why you came
Not to play follow the leader, no no"?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I suspect he only put the "Poor kids dressing like they're rich" line in because otherwise it would have sounded like he was using black and poor as synonyms.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

in the case of the white kids talking like theyre black, maybe hes forgetting that in a lot of instances, black and poor get confused. and there are poor white kids too.

presuming pete doherty wrote this lyric, i wonder if all the old white jazz musicians and fans using hip jazz argot in their speech would have bugged him too.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

the whole acting like theyre black thing is so weird though, because how far are you going to take it? i wonder if the libertines really liked the clash because they played reggae songs - does that mean they were trying to be black too?

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Isn't one of The Libertines black though?

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Just like Ocean Colour Scene.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, the drummer's black. i wonder if pete has a go at the other members in the band if they try and say something like the drummer, gary.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Are black guys in indie bands only allowed to play in the rhythm section? I'm thinking Boo Radleys, No Doubt, OCS, Libs? There must be other examples? Long Fin Killie chap as obvious rule-breaker.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

mick collins is the lead guitarist and singer in the dirtbombs. theres also TVOTR obviously.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

"maybe hes forgetting that in a lot of instances, black and poor get confused. and there are poor white kids too."

.... and, of course, rich black ones.

Incidentally, do you not get black kids "talking like they're white" (the logical but missing 4th permutation)? Are they not ostracised / demonised by their peers if they don't try to talk as if they're from "da hood" in the ghettos of New York, when actually they're from a nice suburban housing estate on the outskirts of Swindon? Why don't The Libertines mention them, do we reckon?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know Dirtbombs or TVOTR at all.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

by the way, the lyrics also have "There's a campaign of hate/Its waiting at the school gates" repeated at varying speeds after the last verse.

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"Incidentally, do you not get black kids "talking like they're white" (the logical but missing 4th permutation)? Are they not ostracised / demonised by their peers if they don't try to talk as if they're from "da hood" in the ghettos of New York, when actually they're from a nice suburban housing estate on the outskirts of Swindon?"

i know people from various ethnicities who have been ostracised or insulted for 'talking' or 'acting white' (white being 'proper' or 'posh' most of the time in these cases). criticising them is as stupid as the 'white kids talking black' thing.

"Why don't The Libertines mention them, do we reckon?"

because thats 'ok' isnt it? theyre speaking as all people in the western world should aspire to talk arent they?

― splooge (thesplooge), Monday, 16 August 2004 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Those being the people largely responsible for getting us all into this mess, you mean? ;~(

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 16 August 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

http://willo.frontstretch.com/spir/2002/token31.gif

― DJ Mencap0))), Monday, 16 August 2004 12:07 (twenty-one years ago)

why do you necessarily assume the lyrics attempt to portait these acts as negative afterall even in the song he gets the girl after talking like he's black to charlene.

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Tuesday, 17 August 2004 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

i think he took a loss and got 'laid out' rather than laid.

― splooge (thesplooge), Tuesday, 17 August 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

What about guitarists in crap rock bands becoming heroin addicts isn't that the lamest, most predictable thing you've ever heard of?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 17 August 2004 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd be careful what you say - he's got a FLICK KNIFE!

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 17 August 2004 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

"Poor kids dressing like they're rich
Rich kids dressing like they're poor
White kids talking like they're black
I tried it with my syringe mate Charlene
And I spent three months on the smack"

― splooge (thesplooge), Tuesday, 17 August 2004 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

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