The Royal Scam (song)

"The Royal Scam" is the title track from the 1976 Steely Dan album, "The Royal Scam". The song was written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. It consists of lyrics sung by Fagen, guitar work from Larry Carlton, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on drums, and a host of session musicians. The Royal Scam is both musically and socially provocative.

Lyrical Content

The song’s introduction carries vehement piano chords, an arduous off-beat drum pattern and suspenseful guitar riff. Fagen then commences the vocals, “"And they wandered in from the city of St. John without a dime"”. Approximately 750,000 Puerto Ricans left their native island from 1947-1964 in search of work, most of them landing in New York City. St. John is translative to San Juan. The initial migration was stimulated primarily by the industrialization of Puerto Rico’s agricultural economy after World War ll. The lyrics, “"Wearing coats that shined both red and green colors from their sunny island"” alludes to Puerto Rico’s Coat of Arms. The chorus then breaks with the accompaniment of female background vocals, “"See the glory of the royal scam"”. The scam opinionated as a race of people escaping deprivation seeking the promised land, only then forced to produce cheap labor. Fagen proceeds, “"They are hounded down to the bottom of a bad town amid the ruins"”. During this period, many of these immigrants resided in the South Bronx, West Side and Lower East Side of Manhattan. To make way for urban renewal projects, these sites were targeted for annihilation and reconstruction. Preference to live in the newly fabricated areas available to minorities was given to blacks. The track continues, “"Every patron saint hung on the wall, shared the room with twenty sinners"”. “"See the glory of the royal scam"”.

References

1. http://www.steelydan.com/lyrroyalscam.html#track92. http://www.fontillas.com/dpr.htm3. http://www.superseventies.com/steelydan2.html

Notes

The disclosed lyrical information is of the author's interpretation of the song and does not decrypt the messages imparted by the original song writers.