In this Album, he has criticized the Army(Ride acress the river), the citizens (Money for Nothing) and here comes all the system, one more time.
The song describes the American society. He is amazed how they could have such a society. How they got to this point. He is old now. His life is gone. He has lived his life so he leaves it to others who are going to continue(...hand it to you And your latest trick). So I think it goes like this:
All the late night bargains have been struck
All kind of imaginable crimes have been commited
Between the satin beaus and their belles
Refers to American citizens (particularly the criminal night owls).
Prehistoric garbage trucks
The industries (big corporates)
Have the city to themselves
have the control over the country
Echoes roars dinosaurs
Describing the industries. Well, something like their barks is worse than their bites.
They're all doing the monster mash
“They” here refers again to criminals (big corporates). They do all kind of mixing and combining different tricks and crimes (monster mash). Mash might also refer to the movie “Mash” . Check: (film)
And most of the taxis, most of the whores
The service industry (business people, brockers, …..)
Are only taking calls for cash
Are only looking for money without any morals
I don't know how it happened
It all took place so quick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
Well now my door was standing open
They have invaded my privacy (tried to brain-wash me)
Security were laid back and lax
Nobody is helping (no-one cares) even the security (Politician who are responsible for this)
But it was only my heart that got broken
They couldn't do any harm to me, I am only sad to see what they are doing.
You must have had a pass key made out of wax
What kind of key they had to get into my brain? Something out of wax (public media)?
You played robbery with insolence
Using insolence, they robbed my thought (changed my thought- brain washed people)
And I played the blues in twelve bars down Lover's Lane
I could only try to tell others all about this.
And you never did have the intelligence to use
You the folk (American citizens) don't have the intelligence.
The twelve keys hanging off from my chain
so many hints, I have given you.
I don't know how it happened
It all took place so quick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
Now it's past last call for alcohol
My life is gone
Past recall has been here and gone
The best of my life was here and has passed
The landlord he finally paid us all
The people who run this country, big corporates and politicians (criminals)
The satin jazzmen have put away their horns
Those who were protecting this system have also stopped (got old)
And we're standing outside of this wonderland
We are all retired
Looking so bereaved and so bereft
We have lost our lives (now bereaved) and lonely and abondoned (bereft)
Like a bowery bum when he finally understands
Like the citizen (bowery is a part of New York, but here it refers to all citizens) who were devoted to this country
The bottle's empty and there's nothing left
They also finally understand that their life was in vain.
I don't know how it happened
It was faster than the eye could flick
But all I can do is hand it to you
And your latest trick
