PullingPins
Padawan Learner
I really enjoy listening to Iron & Wine, and was pleasantly surprised with his new album, especially with this uncharacteristically political song.
Here are the lyrics, and what I take it to mean:
Godless brother in love
You might as well
Lay down that rose
And fold the flag
She is money and tabs
That broken freedom bell
See her big children burning rags
By the riverside
And you can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
Godless brother
As far as I can tell
The night won't compensate the blind
She looks lovely
As lightning
Aw, but what the hell?
Her big kids all run down the road
With no memories at all
And you can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
It seems to me that "godless brother" refers to a patriot in love with his country. In the first stanza he's told to lay down that rose and fold the flag, imagery of a military funeral. To me, this could allude to either the literal inevitable deaths from impending wars, or that our patriot should abandon his ideal of his country, because he's in denial that it's long gone.
The mother figure is Lady Liberty, all "money and tabs" (consumerism and debt). And her big children (the government) laugh with no remorse for their actions on Capitol Hill, cursing the birds in the air (freedom). They run down the road all wild and reckless, with no memories at all- meaning that they make decisions and cast them out of mind because it doesn't matter to them what damage it'll do, or that they can't seem to remember the terrible decisions of the past, they they are now perpetuating.
They're having fun "driving eyes closed," keeping the people asleep and unaware.
But, "the night won't compensate the blind-" being unaware and in the dark doesn't really benefit those who choose to stay asleep.
I'm not so sure about the "burning rags by the riverside" line..
Here are the lyrics, and what I take it to mean:
Godless brother in love
You might as well
Lay down that rose
And fold the flag
She is money and tabs
That broken freedom bell
See her big children burning rags
By the riverside
And you can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
Godless brother
As far as I can tell
The night won't compensate the blind
She looks lovely
As lightning
Aw, but what the hell?
Her big kids all run down the road
With no memories at all
And you can hear them on the hilltop laughing
Cursing every bird in the air
Telling her what fun they're having
Driving eyes closed
It seems to me that "godless brother" refers to a patriot in love with his country. In the first stanza he's told to lay down that rose and fold the flag, imagery of a military funeral. To me, this could allude to either the literal inevitable deaths from impending wars, or that our patriot should abandon his ideal of his country, because he's in denial that it's long gone.
The mother figure is Lady Liberty, all "money and tabs" (consumerism and debt). And her big children (the government) laugh with no remorse for their actions on Capitol Hill, cursing the birds in the air (freedom). They run down the road all wild and reckless, with no memories at all- meaning that they make decisions and cast them out of mind because it doesn't matter to them what damage it'll do, or that they can't seem to remember the terrible decisions of the past, they they are now perpetuating.
They're having fun "driving eyes closed," keeping the people asleep and unaware.
But, "the night won't compensate the blind-" being unaware and in the dark doesn't really benefit those who choose to stay asleep.
I'm not so sure about the "burning rags by the riverside" line..
