Mean Mr. Mustard – Round 2

First off, this song starts just as Jack starts dancing away from Lloyd, which is a lovely moment of transition. This also means that we see the first of (backward) Lloyd at the end of Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, and the last of (forward) Lloyd at the beginning of Mean Mr. Mustard. The two songs on the album openly discussing odious main characters, Maxwell and Mustard (two men with very similar names). Oh! Darling is from the perspective of a main character who sounds like he’s thinly veiling some serious harm to the listener, and You Never Give Me Your Money is more about mutual criticism. Anyway, this also means that Maxwell and Mustard appear at the same time on opposite sides of the album.
“Mean Mr. Mustard sleeps in the park/Shaves in the dark/Tryna save paper” – On “dark”, Grady appears. Obviously, backward Jack, in his shabby robes and stubble, is cutting the perfect image of the man described in the first line (while telling Danny he would “never do anything to hurt” the boy). It’s also neat though that Lloyd, the 237 ghost (buried in the crowd, seen for the last time), Jack, and Grady (who, though being introduced here, is also in his last visible scene in the film) are all visible on screen during this line about such a “mean old man” and such a “dirty old man”.
Also, recall that the first time (round 1) we heard this track start, Jack was being silly with a breakfast-bringing Wendy on this very bed.

“Sleeps in a hole in the road” – On “Sleeps” Jack is getting advocaated (as if Grady were a hypnotist: “Sleep!”). But also, mirror Danny thought Jack was going to be asleep when he was creeping through, because Wendy told him Jack would be.
Also, we’re mere seconds away from the second image below, featuring Jack seeming to be stuck in a hole formed by the carpet, which Danny is making a road out of.

“Saving up to buy some clothes” – Jack reacting to getting messed up by the advocaat. “It’s okay. I have plenty of jackets.” (He’ll die in these clothes.)
Also, the advocaat does have a certain mustardy colour to it, thanks to the eggs.

“His sister Pam” – The 237 ghost goes in and out of view all throughout this sequence, but when Grady bends down right here he reveals her, and then obscures her again, which he does halfway through “sister”. Is Pam the 237 ghost’s real name…?!?!?! Dun dun dun!!! In the novel she’s Lorraine Massey. And, you know, Mean Mrs. Massey has a ring to it.
Also, with regard to “sister”, there’s at least one, but possibly two Kubrick daughters here. And all the Kubrick children were sisters.

“She’s a go-getter” – And how!
“Takes him out to look at the queen” – This line starts while 237 ghost is still onscreen, so I like to think that this means she’s the queen of the hotel. Of course…

“Only place that he’s ever been!” – Ends just as we’re getting our first forward look at the dreaded bloodrug (filling Danny’s head), which will hang beside photo Jack forever and ever. Backward Jack has just finished saying, “I wish we could stay here forever, and ever, and ever.” And of course, Grady is moments away from telling Jack this is the only place he and Jack have ever been. Oh, and backward Danny is saying “You would never hurt mom and me, wouldja?” But this is a funny line since Jack broke Danny’s arm three (goddamn) years ago. We don’t learn this until 16 minutes into the film, but it retroactively informs us that an abuser is basically who Jack always was in this family.

“Dirty old man!” – Jack’s covered in advocaat. Also, I skipped the line “Always shouts out something obscene” because it wasn’t exact, but Jack does comically shout out “Jeev-SEY” as he’s holding the door around that moment, and the two are about to trade n-words with each other. I don’t know if we should count ones that aren’t right on the moment, but these are coming to mind, anyway.

OTHER MAIN PAGES FOR SHINING ANALYSIS