Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “Some Rotten Man” by The Taxpayers
The Taxpayers’ song, ‘Some Rotten Man’ is a vivid ode to a toxic relationship. With cleverly crafted lyrics, full of sound imagery and bitter irony, the band gives shape to the emotions of someone stuck in an unhealthy relationship.
The song presents us with a protagonist that is “attracted to bad choices”. Their lover is someone they love but at the same time cannot make happy, and yet they cannot seem to let go. Consider the use of the phrase “picking my soulless heart’s lock,” a metaphor for how they are stuck in the relationship.
The upbeat melody further displays the dichotomy of the person’s feelings, highlighting the confusion and inner struggle between wanting the person and being deeply hurt by them. The significant other is painted as “some rotten man”, a mere husk of a person, one whose beauty is only skin deep. This reiterates the idea that the protagonist knows they deserve better but yet they stay.
The song speaks to a generation that is constantly searching for someone who can make them feel alive and trying to pin down that feeling no matter what it takes. ‘Some rotten man’ serves as a warning to those stuck in an unhealthy relationship – to recognize the signs and move away from it before it takes too much of their soul.