"Welfare Mothers Make Better Lovers"

Ah, maybe it's one of those dark-sixties-hangover-in-a-Joan-Didion-steelo kind of stories!

The barefoot hippie girl followed her spirit like she was chasing a butterfly, and that fluttering spirit led her right into the laundromat. (And if you've spent any time in a laundromat lately, you know what a grim fate that is.) Now Neil's watching her herd a mob of crying kids towards the quarter machine, and he's thinking A.) "free love my ass!" and B.) "damn, she's hot!" (Being a burnt sixties idealist himself, he's got a weakness for those faded party girls.) In his usual hamfisted style, he captures the moment by pointing a guitar towards the sky and shouting out "welfare mothers make better lovers!"

He may be an incisive social commentator, but suave he ain't. No wonder the poor guy is always so lonesome...

yeah, that's the key, though it's the broader principle and the point may be more narrow. i.e., many welfare mothers are single, abandoned by the fathers of their kids if they were ever attached. would you, Neil Young fan, date a welfare mother? i'm guessing not, or you'd never think of it, etc. now see, Neil has a problem that.

(or is this some "Thrasher"-like parable that I'm totally missing?)

"She stopped to see herself in the mirror, fix her hair and hide her vein - THEN SHE LOST THE GAME"

Not meant to be meanspirited but just sardonically real...? i.e. the poor/meek/losers will always be poor/meek/losers as long as someone's taking advantage of them.

Remember, kids: eight hours of sleep, every night!

Rust Never Sleeps is an angry record.

To me, the strange imagery that Neil Young puts into his lyrics is one of the reasons that his music is interesting, like having conversations with Brando about the good things for sale in Hollywood while in the Astrodome at his teepee with Pocahontas.

Not meant to be meanspirited but just sardonically real...? i.e. the poor/meek/losers will always be poor/meek/losers as long as someone's taking advantage of them.

yeah, I think the record is sardonic, as mozzarella explains better than I would, but not a "joke". in these lyrics, he's angry at the game-loser. who's taking advantage of her, exactly, other than herself?

To me, the strange imagery that Neil Young puts into his lyrics is one of the reasons that his music is interesting, like having conversations with Brando about the good things for sale in Hollywood while in the Astrodome at his teepee with Pocahontas.

uh, meaning it "makes you think"? (not that I have any good idea what Brando/Astrodome are about, really)

I didn't see it that way - I see it as a narrative about [the narrator] being a bit of an asshole. e.g. "I'm using too many covers - I'm warm now so I don't care." The pool shark is taking advantage of her in a way - taking her money .. but I didn't mean that to be the literal example - just in general, this pathetic woman loses at everthing and a hustler recognizes that she's a loser "she stopped to see herself in the mirror.." and has a bit of a conscience for a second, maybe - but then takes her money, easily.

So in reference to the Welfare Mothers - I saw it in the same vein (pun sort-of intended) that welfare mothers are maybe a little hard-up and will do anything for love/attention.. so go get yourself some welfare mother, because they're easy.. (Although I never really studied the lyrics - that was just the vibe I got..)

I suppose my own posts on the subject would be more clear if I would stop imagining that the author and the narrator are both named "Neil."

However, Neil (heh heh) keeps the distinction nice and blurry, and in so doing he creates part of the "meaning" that I'm looking for, so I'm going to keep using that name for the both of 'em.

It's a safe bet, though, that the Neil I describe hanging out in a laundromat is not the one who's a successful recording artist. (Or the one who doesn't appear to have washed his flannels since 1966, for that matter.)

Oh, fine -- long as it's clear this is about you and your attitude toward "Neil" or Neil, and has little to do Neil Young or the song "Welfare Mothers," which is clearly nothing more than a plea from a persona who says if you see some divorced Mom down on her luck you might consider her as girlfirend potential and not look down on her poverty. Don't see the least thing in the song about divorced Moms being desperate for love or dying for your dicks. Remember, this number appeared in the era of T-shirts and bumper stickers that read "Accountants Do It By the Book," "Fisherman Have the Best Lines" and so forth.

It's a sophisticated fiction, using advanced literary techniques to convey an elemental truth: divorced moms are "dying for your dicks."

"Accountants Are Dying For Your Dicks"

The contrast between the glammed-out music and the gritty subject matter is interesting. Maybe Neil is trying to sprinkle some much-needed glitter around those drab laundromats...

"Punk Rock is Dying For Your Dicks"

the answer is of course YES :)