I wear your granddad's clothes
I look incredible
I'm in this big ass coat
From that thrift shop down the road
The lyrics above are from Macklemore's song Thrift Shop.
The song is mainly about the artist's passion about thrift
shopping, singing about all the good things he can find to maintain a lifestyle
like anyone else by making small investments. By doing this, he is criticizing
the international community's lifestyle and overspending for objects one can
find easier and cheaper at several other places that are not luxurious brands.
What this particular stanza refers to is the pursuit of
happines. By "shopping at the thrift shop" or chasing the lifestyle
the girl has, he is trying to impress her. He is attempting to show off the
fact that he can give her the same lifestyle her father has given her
throughout her life; the lifestyle her family wants her to have. The fact that
the thrift shop is only down the road could have the significance that his life
is down the road as well, meaning he can give her what his father gave her, so
he's not far from the expectations she has in a man.
By saying he is wearing her grandfather's clothes, he is
saying that he is wearing her grandfather's shoes as well. By close reading, I
can understand this as he making it clear that he is now willing and able of
setting down with her due to what he has acquired in life and at the thrift
shop that he can now wear the same shoes as her grandfather. This means he can
now settle down with her with his "big ass coat". A coat provides warmth,
a luxury not everyone can acquire. His big ass coat can be a symbol of how warm
he can now keep her, and the bigger the coat the bigger the layer of warmth and
comfort in life, meaning less preoccupations for her and her family, offering
himself and his lifestyle so that her family can understand who he is now.
The fact that his beloved thrift shop and himself are just
down the road means he is not too far from her in the first place, and he wants
to come closer and let his family know he is willing and able to give her a
good life. He is acting like the
responsible figure they all think a grandfather, the alpha member of a family
is. He is already wearing those shoes as well.
What does the thrift shop represent in all of this? Since he
has made little investments for objects of quality, objects that are going to make them happy and
fulfill their needs which took little effort from him. This means he is going
to make her just as happy as the thrift shop makes him since it involves little
investment, meaning it is absolutely easy for him to love her the way he does.
The availability and low prices of the thrift shop, since it is only down the
road and so incredibly unexpensive to visit, he is guaranteeing her a lifetime
of happiness since for him and her everything is simple and unsuperficial.
This is an excellent breakdown of Macklemore's thrift shop. I like your observation of how going to thrift shopping and how his small investments can make him just as happy if not happier then someone who spends hundreds or thousands of dollars on similar items. I can honestly say i never even knew he was singing about a girl at any point in the song. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I love Macklemore. This song is just another reason why I love him. Macklemore sings about how you don't need designer clothes or expensive things to make you happy. You can find cheap things other people donated and be just as happy. Macklemore is one of the few rappers out there that still has a purpose above just making money. His album The Heist was a fully independent album, and he was still able to make it to #1 on the charts. Like Thrift Shop keeps going on about, you just gotta enjoy the little things.
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