☝️ Key Points
- The man is dissatisfied with his current love life
- He dreams of leaving England and starting a new life in America
- The song emphasizes his ideas of America as a land of abundance and wealth
- He reveals his insecurity and self-doubt
- The song is about longing for change and the idealized vision of America
Interpretation
The song 'Breakfast in America' by
Supertramp is about a man who dreams of a life in America while being dissatisfied with his current situation. The opening lines 'Take a look at my girlfriend / She's the only one I got / Not much of a girlfriend / Never seem to get a lot' express his dissatisfaction with his love life. He doesn't see his girlfriend as fulfilling or enriching for his life, reflecting his longing for something more, something better.
The repeated motif 'Take a jumbo cross the water / Like to see America / See the girls in California' shows his desire to leave England and start a new life in America, which holds the promise of adventure and a better future for him.
The chorus 'Could we have kippers for Breakfast / Mummy dear Mummy dear / They got to have 'em in Texas / 'Cos everyone's a millionaire' underscores his ideas of America as a land of abundance and wealth, in contrast to his current situation in England.
The lines 'I'm a winner I'm a sinner / Do you want my autograph / I'm a loser what a joker / I'm playing my jokes upon you / While there's nothing better to do' reveal his insecurity and self-doubt. He feels like a loser in his current life and tries to mask those feelings through humor.
Overall, the song 'Breakfast in America' is about the longing for change, the dissatisfaction with the current state, and the idealized notion of America as a land of opportunities and wealth. But it also portrays the tragedy of a man trapped in his dreams and feeling helpless to change his life.