☝️ Key Points
- The song is about the renaming of Constantinople to Istanbul.
- It describes the effects of the renaming on the city and its inhabitants.
- It is mentioned that other cities have also changed their names.
- The lyrics show that sometimes people long for the past but cannot go back.
- The renaming is referred to as a matter exclusive to the Turks.
Interpretation
(Not Constantinople) is a song by
They Might Be Giants that addresses the renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. The song describes the changes that accompanied this renaming and why it happened.
The line 'Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople' indicates that the city used to be called Constantinople but was later renamed Istanbul. The lyrics tell us that it's been a long time since the city of Constantinople existed.
The song also mentions that all the girls who used to live in Constantinople now live in Istanbul. This shows that the renaming of the city had an impact on people's lives.
It is also noted that even New York used to be called New Amsterdam and people changed the name because they liked it better. This shows that city names are often changed for different reasons.
The chorus of the song goes 'Take me back to Constantinople, no, you can't go back to Constantinople'. This could mean that people sometimes long for the past but cannot return to it. It is also mentioned that 'Constantinople the works' happened, which means something bad occurred, but the reason is described as 'nobody's business but the Turks'.
Overall, the song's lyrics are about the renaming of Constantinople to Istanbul and the consequences this change had on the city and its inhabitants. It is also hinted that city names are often changed for different reasons and that this is nobody's business but the people who live in the respective city.