| Pink Floyd – Us and Them Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Timeless poetry such as this has many levels of meaning. Laid out before us by the artist so succinctly, yet so sublime. All of us can see the reference to the nature of war, its cruelty, and futility. However, I believe there is a more primal meaning to these words. It's more about human nature, rather than the nature of war. The “Us and Them” verse refers to how groups (tribes) of humans can be cruel to one another, but as individuals we like to think we would not act this way. The “Black and Blue” verse refers to how, from the beginning of time and until its end, individuals are drawn to congregate and called to war. We like to think that as individuals we are called to war by our dehumanized leaders with their wicked words. The “Down and Out” verse is the clincher that exposes one cruel aspect of human nature, greed. The greed of nations cause war and we can't deny that is what the fighting is all about. Yet, in our personal lives, our greed can blind us to the suffering of the needy within our own society with people dying for the price of tea and a slice. I believe the lyrics examines how we like to think of ourselves as individuals and how we truly act on a personal level. |
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