Signs

The lyrics describe a speaker repeatedly meeting rules that exclude people: a job sign rejects long-haired applicants, a fence keeps visitors out, and other places require the right clothes or a membership card. The mood is frustrated and sarcastic, as the speaker challenges these restrictions. At the end, the tone becomes more personal and grateful: instead of accepting the signs’ judgments, the speaker writes one expressing thanks for being alive and well.

The repeated “sign” stands for more than written notices. It can represent social rules that decide who belongs and what people are allowed to do. “Blockin’ out the scenery” suggests that these rules are so constant they prevent people from seeing the world freely. The fence image makes the criticism especially clear: it keeps people out while supposedly keeping nature in, a contradiction the speaker calls attention to.

The song may be criticizing prejudice, exclusion, and rules that seem unfair or hypocritical, including in a religious setting where everyone is welcomed but money is collected. Still, the speaker’s final sign does not solve those larger problems; it shifts focus to personal gratitude. The lyrics leave room to hear the ending as sincere, wry, or both.