Giant's Rolling Pin

Album: Unrepentant Geraldines (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • This commentary on the NSA's 2013 spying scandal and the Edward Snowden affair is hidden behind a jaunty jig. "As an American you have to ask all kinds of questions, and as a writer you have to, too," said Amos. You have to think, yeah, probably everybody does spy and not just the security arm of our governments. But, um, interesting choice (for Snowden) to run and hide with the Russians, who are really great to gays and women!."

    "I'm not," she added, "being one of those crazy American patriots. But as a writer I try and pull back and be fair. And you kind of think: wow, these revelations needed to happen, but some of 'em didn't. When you're putting certain people's lives at risk, you have to ask yourself, "Would I have gone that far?"

    "So, it's a commentary on all those things," Amos concluded. "It's about the tax man as well – there are no checks and balances with our tax authorities. I try not to pick a side when I write like that."
  • Amos folds her comments on NSA's spying scandal into a doughy story of the pies made by "Beth," "Marlene" and "Caroline," three women based out of a cafe near Amos's beach home in Florida. "I love these women! You look out of your glasses at them and think they've got some kind of alchemy going on in that kitchen," said Amos. "You just feel better when you've had their food!"

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