Iraq Museum looting: A cultural tragedy. Thousands of priceless Mesopotamian artifacts stolen/destroyed during the 2003 invasion. A song about the commodification of history.
I have two questions about expressions in the lyrics.
Q1: What does “dust off something” means in “In old Baghdad, they're dusting off the antiques (sad, so sad)”
Q2: What does “go large” mean in “Hold the critique, I think I'll go large”
It’s good to know that at least some of the stolen objects eventually come back to the museum, but I cannot help wondering how it was possible that such (probably world famous) precious objects displayed in the museum were sold so openly on eBay?
Thank you for your questions! There's more to unpack in these lyrics...
First, to "dust off" means to take the dust off of something. We do this in our homes, especially if we have visitors. Dust collects on the furniture and shelves, so we take a dust cloth and remove the dust (rarely at my house ;-). In the song, they're saying that these artifacts have been in the museum for so long, they've gathered dust. We want to remove the dust so that they are presentable for our guests, especially if we sell them!
My interpretation of "Go large"... The lyrics say, "I got twenty-five dollars for a Persian vase". That's not a lot of money, but the singer's friend might say something like, "How could you DO that?!", meaning how could you sell something of such historical value!?" But the singer might have understood the criticism as, "How could you sell it so cheaply?!" and says, "Don't worry, I've got something that will make me even more money."
I don't have much of an imagination and I could not uderstand what they implied, but I now uderstand the lyrics better and what you meant when you sad "The singers in the background sing sad, so sad in an "ironic" way." Thank you alwasys for taking time to answer my questions.
I remember the reports for this incident Louise,we were in Ireland with an friend who was a researcher for the local museum, we sat thinking of the historians, the archeologists who must have spent vast hours of days of the lives researching these objects, learning, documenting... we were so saddened by the loss of such important national relics.
Dear Louise,
Thank you for another informative song.
I have two questions about expressions in the lyrics.
Q1: What does “dust off something” means in “In old Baghdad, they're dusting off the antiques (sad, so sad)”
Q2: What does “go large” mean in “Hold the critique, I think I'll go large”
It’s good to know that at least some of the stolen objects eventually come back to the museum, but I cannot help wondering how it was possible that such (probably world famous) precious objects displayed in the museum were sold so openly on eBay?
Mitsuru Hiki
Thank you for your questions! There's more to unpack in these lyrics...
First, to "dust off" means to take the dust off of something. We do this in our homes, especially if we have visitors. Dust collects on the furniture and shelves, so we take a dust cloth and remove the dust (rarely at my house ;-). In the song, they're saying that these artifacts have been in the museum for so long, they've gathered dust. We want to remove the dust so that they are presentable for our guests, especially if we sell them!
My interpretation of "Go large"... The lyrics say, "I got twenty-five dollars for a Persian vase". That's not a lot of money, but the singer's friend might say something like, "How could you DO that?!", meaning how could you sell something of such historical value!?" But the singer might have understood the criticism as, "How could you sell it so cheaply?!" and says, "Don't worry, I've got something that will make me even more money."
And yes, items were sold on eBay and other auction sites, small, pocket-sized items in particular. https://www.saratprojesi.com/en/resources/sarats-features/fifteen-years-after-the-baghdad-museum-was-ransacked-artefacts-of-iraqi-origin-are-still-being-sold-openly-on-the-internet#:~:text=However%20much%20their%20trafficking%20had,way%20to%20circumvent%20the%20ban%3A
Thank you Louise for your addtional explanation.
I don't have much of an imagination and I could not uderstand what they implied, but I now uderstand the lyrics better and what you meant when you sad "The singers in the background sing sad, so sad in an "ironic" way." Thank you alwasys for taking time to answer my questions.
Mitsuru Hiki
I’m delighted to!
I remember the reports for this incident Louise,we were in Ireland with an friend who was a researcher for the local museum, we sat thinking of the historians, the archeologists who must have spent vast hours of days of the lives researching these objects, learning, documenting... we were so saddened by the loss of such important national relics.
"That stuff inside your houses
and that stuff behind your eyes
Well, it all ends up as stuff that you can buy
On eBay, from Babylon back to Babylon"
So true... ❣️