"It was one of those things, like "The Queen and The Soldier," where you feel like you're seeing the whole thing. The dark atmosphere, the color red, the red tapestry, the red dress, something's gonna happen but you don't know what exactly. I never thought of the similarity between those two songs until now, but there is a similar feeling. You feel as if you're watching it."
[...]
"I was originally going to call it "Cuba" because that seemed to be what Cuba might be like. But then I thought, well, my last name's Vega, everyone's gonna think that I'm Cuban, and then I'll really get into trouble."
Interview with Paul Zollo in Song Talk, Vol. 2, #17, Spring 1992, also published in "Language", 5:1 August 1992, (http://www.vega.net/songtal2.htm) trancription by Steve Zwanger

"Room Off The Street was originally called "Cuba." It was what I imagined Cuba might feel like at some point. The feeling of giving your life for the cause, and how it incites all sorts of passions that don't have to do with the politics but with the feeling in the air. The poster of the man with his hand in a fist was a recurring image in the posters we had at home."
"The Open Hand Book - Notes on her New Album", Musician, 1991, also published in Language and in the Limited Edition of 99.9F° (http://www.vega.net/handbook.htm) transcribed by Eric Szczerbinski