The Big Three Killed My Baby

From Stripespedia

Current revision as of 03:36, 31 January 2012

Releases

• The White Stripes (1999)
• The Big Three Killed My Baby (1999)

Other Appearances

• Covered live by Whirlwind Heat.
• Documentarian and liberal political commentator Michael Moore has used this song as an intro for many of his speaking engagements.

Credits

Performers

• Jack White: electric guitar, lead vocals
• Meg White: drums

Production

• Originally performed by The White Stripes.
• Written by Jack White and Meg White.
• Produced by Jack White.
• Co-produced and engineered by Jim Diamond.
• Recorded in January 1999 at Ghetto Recorders, Cass Corridor, Detroit.

Meaning

• "The Big Three" refers to the three major automakers in the 1950s and 1960s: Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. The song is an attack on these companies, relating to the fall of labor unions in the 1960s. Jack has stated in interviews that he does not believe music to be a viable medium for political messages, and until the 2007 release of "Icky Thump" (which criticizes American immigration policy), it was the White Stripes' only political song of note. The song mentions "Tucker's blood", a reference to Preston Tucker's ill-fated Tucker Torpedo. More recently, The White Stripes have performed the song live with alternate lyrics referring to the Iraq War: "Bush's hands are turning red... and I found out your baby is dead."

Band Quotes

• Jack: "I'm pretty fed up with cars…I don't know what you call it when Buddhist monks whip themselves, but I have that on my hand, I have three hose clamps on my hand, for the Big Three. And somebody just made me a necklace with a piece off a piece of machinery that says 'Property of Ford Motor Company.' I have a big hatred for that, for having spent so much money and time on something that hasn't changed in over a hundred years, same design of the engine in a car, it's not progressing at all. That's why I say, 'Don't let them tell you the future's electric/Because gasoline's not measured in metric.' The idea that they won't make any money if they make a good car. Kind of a shame. That's where we're from, that's what this whole town is about. Everybody works for the car company, and that's what I do, I work on commercials filming for the car companies. And it's a tremendous waste of money."
• Jack: "I just can't stand cars. I think they are the worst money pits and killing machines of all time. Every car I've ever had has broken down, like, every week (points to 2 rings and bracelet). These are hose clamps from a car engine. I wear them as a symbol. I wanted to organize an anti-automotive festival in Detroit, but it never came together. It's such a farce. The companies are so tied in with the oil companies. For God's sake, we have wars over the oil to put gas in our cars."
• Jack: "Everybody, all they do is spend all their money on the car companies, it seems to be this thing that everybody just accepts, like that's the way it's gonna be, and nobody complains about it. I don't understand it."
• Jack: "The funny thing about that song is that we played that on a local public television channel here in Detroit a few months ago and they asked us to play two other ones. In the end, they wouldn't air 'The Big Three Killed My Baby.' They were sponsored by Chrysler."
• Jack: "Most of the time I don't care at all about [politics]. I never voted for president because I don't care for it. "The Big 3 Killed My Baby" hits home because of where we're from and how much I think the big three [auto companies] rip off everyone. It seems really funny to me that nobody cares. The car has been ruining my life at all times."

Trivia

• Live guitar: The Airline in standard tuning.
• With Jack's favorite number in mind, this song has three verses and three choruses, and primarily uses only three chords. It begins with three strums behind the nut of Jack's guitar. It's also the third track on the album, and is of course called "The Big Three Killed My Baby".
• The cover of The Big Three Killed My Baby has Jack and Meg standing next to a picture of a car engine, with a sign labeled "Insert Money Here" taped to the engine.
• The White Stripes have performed the song live with alternate lyrics referring to the Iraq War: "Bush's hands are turning red... and I found out your baby is dead."

Lyrics

The big three killed my baby -- no money in my hand again.
The big three killed my baby -- nobody's coming home again.

Their ideas made me want to spit. A hundred dollars goes down the pit...
30,000 wheels are rollin', and my stickshift hands are swollen.
Everything involved is shady. The big three killed my baby.

The big three killed my baby -- no money in my hand again.
The big three killed my baby -- nobody's coming home again.

Why don't you take the day off and try to repair? A billion others dont seem to care.
Better ideas are stuck in the mud. The motor's runnin' on Tucker's blood!
Dont let them tell you the future's electric, 'cause gasoline's not measured in metric!
30,000 wheels are spinnin', and oil company faces are grinnin'.
And now my hands are turnin' red, and I found out my baby is dead.

The big three killed my baby -- no money in my hand again.
The big three killed my baby -- nobody's coming home again.

Well, I've said it now, nothing's changed. People are burnin' for pocket change.
And creative minds are lazy, and the big three killed my baby.
And my baby's my common sense -- so don't feed me planned obsolescence.
Yeah, my baby's my common sense -- so don't feed my planned obsolescence.

I'm about to have another blowout. I'm about to have another blowout.

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