Dog Eat Dog

Album: Walking Like We Do (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Dog Eat Dog" is a minimalist song inspired by the June 2017 Grenfell disaster. Seventy-two people perished after the 24-story Grenfell Tower block caught fire because corners were cut and health and safety checks weren't carried out.
  • Big Moon frontwoman Juliette Jackson began writing the song two days after the tragedy. "There was just a mood in the air in London," she recalled to The Independent two-and-a-half years later. "Everyone was grieving and still is. It was such a tragedy and it feels really unfair and it's so symbolic of a s--ty system."
  • I guess tailored suits don't grow on trees
    And tragedies eventually turn into memes
    You only build bridges when the river wets your feet
    You only felt the fire when you felt the heat


    Jackson wrote the above lyric after coming across an article about Prime Minister Theresa May's huge wardrobe budget for the election and later reading how little it would have cost to install fireproof cladding on Grenfell Tower. "This whole thing could so easily have been avoided, but nobody cared or listened enough to fix it before it happened," she told Apple Music. "Theresa May came out in a nice suit and apologized, and the next day that's a shareable video that exists in the same format as cute cat memes and it all gets swept along in the tide of the internet."
  • Other songs inspired by the Grenfell Tower Fire include:

    "Question Time" by Dave.

    "White Noise White Heat" by Elbow.

    "For the Lost" by Tom Chaplin.

    "Blind Leading The Blind" by Mumford & Sons.

    "Street Song" by The Who.
  • 'Round here they say it's dog eat dog but
    It's more like pigeon eat fried chicken on the street


    The phrase "dog eat dog" refers to ruthless competition in which people try to succeed at the expense of others. The expression refers to the mid-16th century proverb "dog does not eat dog."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.