The title of this song comes from the Australian expression "tall poppy syndrome," a pejorative term primarily used to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are cut down, bringing them down to your level. It is diagnosed by some as a symptom of an ingrained national suspicion of success. Barnett explained to Nothing But Hope and Passion: "If someone is doing really well, you tell them they suck to bring them back down to earth. The song just deals with people having strong opinions about things."
The concept of tall poppy syndrome originates from Roman historian Livy's account of the tyrannical Roman King Tarquin the Proud. He was reputed to have struck off the heads of poppies as a graphic demonstration of the way in which important men of the captured city of Gabii should be treated.
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