I watched this video twice and as far as I can tell it’s about disaffected youth. When I can understand the words, it sounds like Jack White is singing about kids home alone without parental supervision getting into trouble because there’s little else for them to do.
However, I don’t see the real point of the message White is trying to convey. Is he making a statement that kids in the inner city are left to their own devices because their parents are out working low wage jobs and there are no places for these kids to go during the time they aren’t in school (if they even bother going to school)?
The end of the video shows kids pouring gasoline over a car that has a person tied up inside, surely to be burned alive. Is Jack White saying that if kids aren’t properly supervised they’ll become sociopathic killers?
If this is indeed the message White is trying to convey, then I can agree with the message up to a point. There aren’t adequate activities or adequate supervision of youth. Certainly whenever there’s a budget shortfall, youth programs are the first to get slashed. But I don’t think lack of guidance and supervision will necessarily turn young people into sociopathic killers.
Musically, the song doesn’t really go anywhere. White’s voice is rather screechy and annoying and the same guitar riff seems to resonate throughout the entire song. In other words, there’s nothing much original here. In my opinion Jack White is over rated.
