The History of Utah
Desert Dreams and Riverboat Gambles: Unraveling the Story of Old Joe
Lyrics
He was a riverboat gambler
Describing a person as having a risky, adventurous lifestyle like a gambler on a riverboat
He was the son of the chief of police
Highlighting the familial background of this person, specifically being the son of the chief of police
He was a riverboat gambler
Reiterating the individual's persona as a riverboat gambler
He was the son of the chief of police
Reiterating the family background of being the son of the chief of police
He drove around in a Rambler
Referencing the type of car the person drove, a Rambler
And he had a message from the chief
Implies that this person carried a message from the chief of police while driving the Rambler
He drove around in a Rambler
Reiterating the type of car the person drove, a Rambler, and the message from the chief
He had a message from the chief
Reiterating the conveyance of a message from the chief by this person in the Rambler
And old Joe did and said as he would
Describes the person's behavior as they pleased, possibly disregarding rules or expectations
Took all the shopping carts in the mall
Illustrates an act of taking shopping carts, possibly as a form of rebellion or eccentric behavior
And took 'em to Utah, which was Zion
States that the person took these carts to Utah, referring to it as Zion
He built an empire out of the desert
Highlights the individual's action of building an empire in the desert of Utah, akin to the development of Las Vegas
Out of the dust and the sand, just like Las Vegas
Emphasizes the transformation of the desert into a prosperous place similar to the growth of Las Vegas from desolation
But he never took the rap that the mafia did
Asserts that despite the person's activities, they never faced consequences like the mafia did
And he thought the Indians were some lost 13 dudes
Expresses the person's perception of Native Americans as a lost or misunderstood group
But he didn't treat 'em any better
Acknowledges that despite this perception, the person didn't treat Native Americans any better
And they were never on his side
Suggests a lack of alliance between the person and the Native Americans
They drove their pickup trucks out into the desert
Describes the actions of Native Americans driving their pickup trucks into the desert
Into a ditch along the side of the road
Depicts the Native Americans' behavior of driving into a ditch, possibly suggesting self-destructive tendencies
And acted like they were drunk all the time
Implies that the Native Americans acted intoxicated frequently
And old Joe had 13 beady-eyed babies
States that the person had 13 children, highlighting a large family
One of whom I used to go to school with
Indicates familiarity with one of these children from the speaker's school days
He'd drive his car at 110 down the alleyway
Portrays reckless behavior of one of the person's children driving at high speed
Throwing cinderblocks at trash cans
Describes the child's destructive behavior of throwing objects at trash cans from a speeding car
And I declare on this occasion that I've never seen this heaven, or this place any differently
Expresses the speaker's unchanged view of this place or situation over time
But now and then I dream of the flying saucers, and they're coming to take us away
Conveys occasional dreams about flying saucers taking people away, possibly implying a desire for escape or change
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