Some things are better if you know history

The usual answer to "why do we need to learn history?" typically involves doom and repetition. An alternative answer is that it lets you into a special club in which all manner of things mean a whole lot more. For instance:

I was listening to a favorite song of mine, "Brand New '64 Dodge" by Greg Brown. Mostly, it's just the musings of a boy who thinks it's odd to be riding in a '64 Dodge in 1963.

Money comes out of Dad's billfold,
Hankies come out of Mom's purse.
The engine hardly makes a sound
Even when you put it in reverse.

But then later he muses about the girl he likes.

Her little brother is retarded,
But Jesus loves him, too.
And Jesus loves our president,
Even though he's a Catholic.

Then if you know history, you know he's singing about John Kennedy, because he was the first Catholic president, and some people were worried that a Catholic president would have to obey the pope. Turned out not to matter so much, but that's what people worried about back then.

The world is big and full of autumn,
And I'm as hungry as can be!
We're in our new '64 Dodge
November of '63. November.

He repeats that month, to make sure you don't miss it, as if it's important that it is November. Because it is. If you know a little history, you know that in November of 1963, John Kennedy was shot and killed. And suddenly you know what this song is about. It isn't about a car at all. It's about the Kennedy Assassination. It's about a great tragedy that's going to come crashing down on this innocent little boy, a big smack of reality into the face of a kid who's been told all his life that the world is a good and safe and wonderful place, and all these questions he's been pondering are suddenly going to seem like they don't mean anything at all. It's about innocence destroyed.

But if you don't know history? ...Then it's just about a car.