When Black Friday comes
I stand by the door
And catch the grey men
When they dive from the 14th floor
When Black Friday comes
I collect everything I'm owed
And before my friends find out
I'll be on the road
When Black Friday falls
You know it's got to be
Don't let it fall on me
When Black Friday comes
I fly down to Muswellbrook
Gonna strike all the big red words
From my little black book
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
With nothing to do
But feed all the kangaroos
When Black Friday comes
I'll be on that hill
You know I will
When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it
Till I satisfy my soul
Gonna let the world pass by me
The Archbishop's gonna sanctify me
And if he don't come across
I'm gonna let it roll
When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna stake my claim
I guess I'll change my name
~ Donald Fagen & Walter Becker (Steely Dan)
I love listening to Steely Dan, always have. Most of the time, I have no idea what they're singing about. I google the lyrics, and I still have no idea what they're singing about. But I love listening to Steely Dan. "Black Friday," which I selected today for obvious reasons, is a track on 1975's Katy Lied.
So the song has absolutely nothing to do with the craziness of the day after Thanksgiving, when people gather at shopping malls to run over one another in their quest to grab up the best deals. I can tell you honestly that I have never, ever gone shopping on Black Friday, so I don't really get it. Seems somewhat masochistic to put oneself through that stress. But, again, that's not what the song is about. It references a gold crash in 1869. You can look it up if you're interested in what happened.
Muswellbrook is a rural town two hours north of Sydney, Australia, and it's full of kangaroos. Legend has it that Fagen and Becker just wanted a place far away, so they got out an atlas and landed a finger on a random place. A few years ago, I did a road trip with my family from the rainforest in Queensland down to Sydney, just in time for New Year's Eve. I guess I missed Muswellbrook. Good excuse to go back, eh?
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
Oooh, that sounds so good to me! (She said, clad in her thermal socks and fleece-lined Uggs and flannel shirt and sweatpants, not shopping.)
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