After an absence from the web, this close reading of the President's of the United States of America's hit song "Peaches" returns to the Internet. You may think the song lacks lyrical content, and was only a hit because of the Ninjas in the video. This is reasonable, as it appears to be a pointless rambling of a band who drank a little too much spiked fruitopia. I admit it doesn't seem all that sensible, but if you listen to it enough and ask yourself why anybody would write such a blatantly pointless song. Well the only logical answer is that it isn't blatantly pointless. You may just see the hidden meanings. Of course, you and Bill Clinton may disagree with this interpretation. That's fine, you can make your own website.

If you know the lyrics feel free to hop down to the analysis.

                      1 Movin' to the country
                        I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
                        I'm movin' to the country 
                        I'm gonna eat me a lot ofpeaches
                     
                      5 I'm movin' to the country
                        I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
                        I'm movin' to the country
                        I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches

                       Peaches come from a can
                     10 They were put there by a man
                        In a factory downtown

                        And If I had my little way
                        I'd eat peaches every day
                        Sun soaking bulges in the shade

                     15 Movin' to the country
                        I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches
                        I'm movin' to the country 
                        I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches

                        I'm Movin' to the country
                     20 Gonna eat a lot of peaches
                        Movin' to the country
                        Gonna eat a lot of peaches

                        I took a little nap with a little salt twist
                        Squished a rotten peach in my fist
                     25 And dreamed about you woman

                        I poke my finger down inside
                        Make a little hole for an ant to hide
                        Natures candy in my hand, or can or pie
                        
                        Not Now                          
                     30 Not Now
                        Not Yet

                        Millions of peaches
                        Peachesfor me
                        Millions of peaches
                     35 Peaches for Free

                        Millions of peaches
                        Peachesfor Me
                        Millions of peaches
                        Peaches for free
                     40 Look out

                        Millions of peaches
                        Peaches for me
                        Millions of peaches
                        Peaches for Free

                     45 Millions ofPeaches
                        Peaches for Me
                        Millions of peaches
                        Peaches for free
                        Look out

"Peaches" is a song discussing the coming of socialism and warning that the revolution shouldn't occur at this exact moment but its coming. The Presidents of the United States of America make repeated reference to the oppression of the capitalistic world and their desires to leave it far behind. Verses espousing communism are quite prevalent to the end with scattered warnings not to both the revolutionaries and the establishment.

In order to escape the capitalistic decay of the city they are moving to the country as indicated by the first stanza. This is repeated like a chorus and contains a double meaning, both with socialistic implications. The most apparent is that the narrator is moving away from the smog of industry to what American's call the country, a rural unindustrialized community with a low population and a high sense of community bonding. The people are geographically more distant but ore emotionally closer. In such communities most of the people work in the area and the community is self-sufficient. There is no more than one of each business (basically a general Store and a gas station). These communities are almost communistic, and generally supported by the US' agrarian socialism programs. The other interpretation is that he is moving to a foreign socialistic country. Once there he's going to eat lots of peaches. The peaches where he is now are tainted with oppression but in the country (which ever one it is) are fresher and more free.

The third stanza discusses capitalism as an unnatural thing. Peaches are fruit, and fruit comes from fruit trees not cans. The "It was put there" lines show capitalism as a sexist institution a non-gender specific term like worker, or employee would have been used other wise. The term "factory" is a reference to the factories of the Industrial Revolution when people worked long hours for mere pocket change. Industrial society has lead to placing beautiful nature into a can. Line 28shows that Natures candy has been forced into can. The word hand has long been a symbol of a force and strength and also oppressive control hence the American idiom "I've got them eating out of my hand." By placing pie after the can, the Presidents, are implying that we feed upon this oppression.

The wishes embodied in the fourth stanza imply a desire and a plan to over through the establishment. A daily consumption of fresh peaches would only be allowed to the common person by a socialistic or communistic economy. Of course the obstacle in the way of the daily peach is the "Sun soaking bulges in the shade". These bulges are the portly capitalists who do nothing but lounge around in the shade while trying to get a tan, because their delicate complexion couldn't take the sun. They're people who haven't worked all their life and have lived by walking on the backs of men.

Capitalism is declared decadent and inescapable. In seventh stanza the Presidents turn up the imagery. The twenty fourth line vents anger at the decay capitalism has caused. By squishing a "rotten peach in my fist" there is an angry attempt to shrink the decay caused by capitalism and squish it out of existence. The anger is given intense force by the word fist which produces an image of anger and strength. The previous line about talking a nap may seem silly and out of place but implies that at present the only way to squish the "rotten peach" of capitalistic decay is in dreams. The 25th line reinforces this idea. Communism and socialism are beliefs that are publicly seen to be feminine. During the Industrial Revolution and the two American Red Scares (after World War I and II) socialists were seen as something less than masculine. They were ridiculed as being week and woman like (as the women's rights movement hadn't quite happened and such a belief was socially acceptable). In modern thought the woman artistically represents an entity of great beauty and equal intelligence, as far as The Presidents of the United States of America are concerned a socialistic/communistic state would be a beautiful thing.

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