What are your interpretations of Broken Social Scene's "Market Fresh"?

March 6, 2011 8:51 PM

Again moved by the shimmery beauty of Broken Social Scene's "Market Fresh", after not listening to it for a long time, I decided to look up the song lyrics. I'm interested in people's interpretation of them..

Here are the lyrics:

Market fresh
Stand by me
Where will it ever land

Scar and stains, Emily
Turn our little crab

I could have meant it if you let me
I could have meant it if you let me
I could have meant it if you let me

Market fresh
Stand by me
Where will it ever land

Scar and stains, Emily
Turn our little crab

I could have meant it if you let me


I'm frozen (I'm frozen I'm frozen I'm frozen I'm frozen)
I'm frozen (I'm frozen I'm frozen I'm frozen I'm frozen)


**They're so illusory and the imagery is beautiful. Personally, I'm stumped as to the cohesive meaning (assuming that there is one), but I'd really like to know if anyone else has considered it, and what you think. Or if anyone wants to take a stab at it, I'd likewise be quite interested in your interpretation.
-Thanks!

posted by robobrent to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: The Emily is almost certainly Emily Haines of Metric. She sings on a lot of BSS songs and has a long history with the band.

As for digging meaning out of any Broken Social Scene song, good luck. They're very purposefully obtuse. If I had to guess the "I could have meant it if you let me/ I'm frozen" might be about wanting to admit your feelings for someone and not doing it, or feeling like you can't do.

The phrase "Market Fresh" might refer to the potency of the emotion- It's an open wound, or one that still hurts despite the time involved. It's not a healed wound.
posted by GilloD at 8:58 PM on March 6, 2011

Best answer: "Turn our little crab"- Crabs crabwalk, right? And we kind of chuckle at it, like WHAT AN IDIOT THAT CRAB IS. Maybe it's about trying to right a wrong thing? And one step further- Trying to right a wrong things that turns out not to be wrong at all. Maybe it's 'broken' either because of your perception or because that's just the way it is.

Scar and stains is a duh, old wounds, a nod to the history between the two fo them. Which leads to an interesting interplay here: They have lots of history together (Scars, stains), but his feelings are still "Market fresh".

Also the polemics involved with 'Market Fresh' vs. 'Frozen', although that could just be incidental. Think frozen versus fresh fish, also a nod to 'crab' earlier. Oh god. I'm digging myself deeper.
posted by GilloD at 9:01 PM on March 6, 2011

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858558953/
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 9:59 PM on March 6, 2011

Best answer: I don't know the song or the band but since they are an indie group from Toronto, I can imagine the market fresh crabs being the type found in Chinatown and Kensington market. Usually sold on the sidewalk from an untended bushel basket, people poke at them and turn them over to see which are the feistiest (freshest) and quickest to get on their feet again. The ones nearer the bottom of the bushel are generally the most beat-up and more likely to be dead. Also, being Toronto, we are very far from the ocean and these poor little buggers have been shipped a long way to get to the market.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:28 AM on March 7, 2011