Een doorlopend thema in het vroege werk van de Gang of Four is de wijze waarop het kapitalisme mensen en intermenselijke verhoudingen reduceert tot op de markt verhandelbare waren. Niets is heilig, alles wordt gereduceerd tot een waar. Zelfs de meest intieme verhoudingen, liefde en seks, zijn niet immuun voor deze ‘kolonisering’ van de maatschappij en het intermenselijk verkeer: Damaged goods/Send them back/I can’t work, I can’t achieve/Send me back/Open the till/Give me the change you said would do me good/Refund the cost/You said you’re cheap but you’re too much.
Zanger Jon King schreef de song na het zien van een hilarische verkoopslogan in een supermarkt in Leeds: The hopeless in-store slogan at the point of sale was: “The change will do you good” meaning “change” as in money and “change” as in switch store. Someone got paid for this rubbish! I found this a good starter for words about a doomed relationship where legover had become, maybe, too much of a good thing.
Damaged Goods was de eerste single van dit roemruchte postpunk-gezelschap. Het werd een enorme indie-hit, maar de leden van de band hebben nooit een cent gezien. That’s capitalism for you.
[Verse 1]
The change will do you good
I always knew it would
Sometimes I’m thinking that I love you
But I know it’s only lust
Your kiss so sweet
Your sweat so sour
[Verse 2]
Your kiss so sweet
Your sweat so sour
Sometimes I’m thinking that I love you
But I know it’s only lust
The sins of the flesh
Are simply sins of lust
Sweat’s running down your back
Sweat’s running down your neck
Heated couplings in the sun (Or is that untrue?)
Colder couplings in the night (Never saw your body)
Your kiss so sweet
Your sweat so sour
Sometimes I’m thinking that I love you
But I know it’s only lust
The change will do you good
I always knew it would
You know the change will do you good
You know the change will do you good
[Bridge]
Damaged goods (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Send them back (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
I can’t work, I can’t achieve (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Send me back (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Open the till (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Give me the change you said would do me good (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
Refund the cost (Ah-ah-ah-ah)
You said you’re cheap but you’re too much
[Verse 3]
Your kiss so sweet
Your sweat so sour
Sometimes I’m thinking that I love you
But I know it’s only lust
The change will do you good
I always knew it would
You know the change will do you good
You know the change will do you good
[Outro]
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
I’m kissing you goodbye
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, bye (Goodbye)
(Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye)
Uitgelichte afbeelding: By Robman94 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14548515
