Pearl Shell Buttons
Rebellion in a Town of Pearl Shell Buttons
Lyrics
Whooh-ooh
Expressing excitement or emphasis
In a town where the price of a life is nothing
Life is undervalued in the town
(Price of a life is nothing)
Reiteration of the cheap value of life
Whooh-ooh
Reiteration of excitement or emphasis
Get away while you can from the man with the pearl shell buttons
Advice to escape from a dangerous man with pearl shell buttons
(Pearl shell buttons)
Reiteration of the warning about the man with pearl shell buttons
I’d rather be judged by twelve than carried by six
Preference for facing judgment by a jury than dying
Strong men use their words not guns and whips
Advocacy for resolving conflicts through words, not violence
So when the pearl shell man came to do us great harm
Narrating an encounter with a threatening pearl shell man
I pulled the poke from the fire, speared it through his arm
Using a poker to defend against the threat
Then I said real calm
Remaining calm in a dangerous situation
Whooh-ooh
Expressing excitement or emphasis
In a town where the price of a life is nothing
Reiteration of the cheap value of life in the town
(Price of a life is nothing)
Reiteration of the devalued life in the town
Whooh-ooh
Reiteration of excitement or emphasis
Get away while you can from the man with the pearl shell buttons
Reiterating the warning to escape from the man with pearl shell buttons
(Pearl shell buttons)
Reiteration of the warning about the man with pearl shell buttons
It ended in a duel, ten paces apart
Describing a duel with the pearl shell man
The pearl shell man fired first but he missed my heart
Narrating the outcome of the duel, surviving a gunshot
Then he fastened the buttons on his overcoat
The pearl shell man buttons up after the failed attempt
Went looking for the mayor, held him by the throat
Pearl shell man confronts the mayor for support
‘Till he cast his vote
Forcing the mayor's decision through coercion
Whooh-ooh
Expressing excitement or emphasis
In a town where the price of a life is nothing
Reiteration of the cheap value of life in the town
(Price of a life is nothing)
Reiteration of the devalued life in the town
Whooh-ooh
Reiteration of excitement or emphasis
Get away while you can from the man with the pearl shell buttons
Reiterating the warning to escape from the man with pearl shell buttons
(Pearl shell buttons)
Reiteration of the warning about the man with pearl shell buttons
Steal away while you can from the man with the pearl shell buttons
Suggesting to escape from the dangerous man with pearl shell buttons
When he rode into town all the shutters were down
Describing the arrival of the pearl shell man in a deserted town
The sun was blisterin’, no-one prowling around
Setting the scene of a hot, deserted town
Famished and dry from his long dusty ride
Describing the pearl shell man's arrival and the survival of the townsfolk
He kicked in our gate, discovered we had all survived
The pearl shell man discovers the resilience of the community
Since he last dropped by
Surviving the pearl shell man's previous visit
Better fill up his grave with deeper dirt next time
Suggesting a harsh response for the pearl shell man's next attempt
Fear is the seed that falls on fertile minds
Highlighting fear as a powerful force affecting minds
Familiar breeds of thin-skinned men
Criticizing certain types of men who are easily offended
Worship the wrong invisible friend
Criticizing misguided worship of the wrong ideals
Right up until the end
Expressing a lack of change or realization until the end
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