- published: 28 Sep 2014
- views: 589990
A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. The term originates from the days when speakers would elevate themselves by standing on a wooden crate originally used for shipment of soap or other dry goods from a manufacturer to a retail store.
The term is also used metaphorically to describe a person engaging in often flamboyant impromptu or unofficial public speaking, as in the phrases "He's on his soapbox", or "Get off your soapbox." Hyde Park, London is known for its Sunday soapbox orators, who have assembled at Speakers' Corner since 1872 to discuss religion, politics, and other topics. A modern form of the soapbox is a blog: a website on which a user publishes their thoughts to whomever they are read by.
Throughout the 19th Century and into the 20th, prior to the invention of corrugated fiberboard, manufacturers used wooden crates for the shipment of wholesale merchandise to retail establishments. Discarded containers of every size, well-constructed and sturdy, were readily available in most towns. These "soapboxes" made free and easily portable temporary platforms for street corner speakers attempting to be seen and heard at improvised "outdoor meetings," to which passersby would gather to hear often provocative speeches on religious or political themes.
You tell me you need something to believe in, some worthy cause to set you straight
But if you find you're thinking of the future your faith in me's misplaced.
I've never been somebody to look up to.
Lord knows I'm not the one you need.
I'm weak, I'm wasted, fading like old light here.
Don't put your faith in me.
Don't put your faith in me,
Darling, don't put your faith in me.
Don't put your faith in me,
Darling, don't put your faith in me.
You know I can be someone to rely on;
You can count on me to fuck it up but I can't give you anything you're after.
I'm a magnet for bad luck.
No don't find hidden meanings in my words babe, most things I say, well I don't mean.
If you're looking for a friend well I can be one but don't put your faith in me
And flashing lights from frantic nights I wear like a neon crown.
And in the rush of frenzied lust it seems I'm gonna slowly drown.
But if you put your faith in me I'll only let you down,
I'll only let you down if you put your faith in me,
Darling, don't put your faith in me.
Don't put your faith in me, darling, don't put your faith in me.