Social Disease

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This entire song is something of a pun, as the term “social disease” is an older euphemism for a venereal disease, or STD. Here, Taupin has turned it to mean an alcoholic… Read More

Oct. 5, 19731 viewer8.4K views

Social Disease Lyrics

[Verse 1]
My bulldog is barking in the backyard
Enough to raise a dead man from his grave
And I can't concentrate on what I'm doing
Disturbance going to crucify my days
And the days they get longer and longer
And the nighttime is a time of little use
For I just get ugly and older
I get juiced on Mateus and just hang loose

[Chorus]
And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning
I get bombed for dinnertime and tea
I dress in rags, smell a lot, and have a real good time
I'm a genuine example of a social disease

[Verse 2]
My landlady lives in a caravan
Well, that is when she isn't in my arms
And it seems I pay the rent in human kindness
But my liquor also helps to grease her palms
And the ladies are all getting wrinkles
And they're falling apart at the seams
Well, I just get high on tequila
And see visions of vineyards in my dreams

[Chorus]
And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning
I get bombed for dinnertime and tea
I dress in rags, smell a lot, and have a real good time
I'm a genuine example of a social disease

[Verse 2]
And the ladies are all getting wrinkles
And they're falling apart at the seams
Well, I just get high on tequila
And see visions of vineyards in my dreams

[Chorus]
And I get bombed for breakfast in the morning
I get bombed for dinnertime and tea
I dress in rags, smell a lot, and I have a heart of gold
I'm a genuine example of a social disease

[Outro]
I'm a genuine example of a social disease

About

This entire song is something of a pun, as the term “social disease” is an older euphemism for a venereal disease, or STD. Here, Taupin has turned it to mean an alcoholic layabout who many people would regard as being a parasite to society. It would be wrong to read this as a straight criticism on Taupin’s part, however; this whole album is about misunderstood, unlucky and (often) unloved people and the plights they live.