Place Names in Rock Lyrics: Mess Around

For this feature we’ve previously done Sweet Little Sixteen, Dancing in the Streets, Night Train, Rock’n Me, Pop Muzik, Girls, Girls, Girls, Fire Down Below, Truckin’, and Everywhere That I’m Not.

Today’s song is Mess Around by Cage the Elephant. I had this on the radio the other day and noticed it had a few cities called out in the lyrics. This is the most recent song on our list, by a long way. It hit #2 on the US Alternative Chart and #16 on the US Rock Chart in 2015.

It’s not real complicated lyrically, as the line between verse and chorus isn’t clear and all the parts are repeated a few times with little change in the words.

Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
Ahhhhh, oh no
No, she don’t mess around
No, she don’t mess around

Oh St. Louis, California
Blue eyes, yeah she’s comin’ for ya
Land of Mary, Charm City
Oh lord, wish she was my baby
You know she’ll drive you crazy
Yeah she’s coming for ya
No, she don’t mess around
No, she don’t mess around

The reference to Charm city in the Land of Mary is clearly Baltimore, Maryland. I think at one time that city’s nickname might even have been used sincerely.