When Marvin sings "while Sis drank beer and went and killed herself" do you think he is referring to his actual sister, or one of the other ladies from in trousers? If he is, who would it be, and if it's his sister, what're the implications of that?
Okay, let me be completely honest up front: I barely have any semblance of an idea as to what In Trousers (The Dream) means. Like, I vaguely understand its general relevance and importance to the plot/theme, but the overall specifics allude me. However, I believe that “Sis” was just a name with no relation to Marvin, and she is one of the four ladies (Jessie, May, Sis, and Bette).
Also, not to hijack your ask, but like I have a pretty specific interpretation of In Trousers that I feel like may be right or may be completely off base:
There are five men and four women, and this demonstrates how Marvin - being one of the five - has always felt like an outsider and “the odd man out.”
The lyrics “[The men and women] chew their food completely out of sync” (as in, the women and men aren’t compatible) and “They must, for love, remain discreet” (as in, they could not openly be homosexual/queer because of persecution and hate crimes) leads me to believe that Marvin is talking about the LGBTQ community (as in, the ladies are lesbian and the men are gay). But then again, I could be wrong, but this is just something that I’ve come to believe.
The term “In trousers” means a disguise of sorts, like a sense of protection from one’s true self. It seems important that everyone is not simply doing something but that everyone is doing that something in trousers, meaning that they are playing the part and assuming a role and trying to shield themselves from the true act itself. Marvin has been “living in trousers” as in he is living a life that is safe and socially accepted (I feel like the word choice of “trousers” rather than “pants” is to show a sense of proper and high society-esque lifestyle - as in, what is socially accepted and praised).
By the end of the song, as Marvin checks back into the four ladies, none of them receive a happy ending (because they were living in trousers and not being their authentic selves. Read: homosexual). These four ladies said that they’d never lose their love (love of self, love of each other, love of life, etc) but then they’d lost their love. And I believe that it is because they were “in trousers” - which is why Miss Goldberg, High School Sweetheart, and Wife start again the whole “Marvin needs love.” Because Marvin needs love in order to not end up like those ladies. And so, he leaves his wife and child and strips off his trousers, determined to lead a life of unconvention but happiness.
But what’s your interpretation of the song? It’s very vague and confusing, so I would love to read what someone else makes of it.
