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The song 1990 (at the end of Go West, Young Man) has the following lyrics:

Oh listen when I say
What does it profit a man now
To gain a fortune
And lose his soul?
[Spoken:] To be continued

The phrase "To be continued" concludes both the song and the album. What does this phrase mean? Should it be understood to refer to the song itself, the entire album, or something else entirely?

EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine
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1 Answers1

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"To be continued" is the normal end for a serial installment that is not complete.

Outside a serial, it could be used to indicate that the situation in the song is not resolved. For instance, the verse you cite has a man being told to listen to some good advice. Will he listen? Will he not? What will happen to him because of it? The song will not tell you except that his story goes on.

Mary
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  • Do you have reasoning for why this should be applied to the song itself and not the album as a whole? – bobble May 28 '23 at 05:18