The Decemberists – The Soldiering Life

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Ambling madly all over the town
The call to arms, you're likened to a whisper
I liken to a radio
You were a brick bag a bowery tough, so rough
They called you from a cartoon
Pulled out of your pantaloons

But You
My brother in arms
I'd rather I'd lose my limbs
Than let you come to harm

But You
My bombazine doll
The bullets may singe your skin
And the mortars may fall

But I
I never felt so much life
Than tonight
Huddled in the trenches
Gazing on the battle field
Our rifles blaze away
We blaze away

Corporal Bradley of regiment five
And proud array standing by the bathing
Soldiers and the stevedores
We laid on the mattress and tumbled to sleep
Our eyes align, swaddled in our civies
Cradled in our dungarees

But You
My brother in arms
I'd rather I'd lose my limbs
Than let you come to harm

But You
My bombazine doll
The bullets may singe your skin
And the mortars may fall

But I
I never felt so much life
Than tonight
Huddled in the trenches
Gazing on the battle field
Our rifles blaze away
We blaze away
We blaze away
We blaze away

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Lyrics submitted by Hunter

Track duration: 05:04

"The Soldiering Life" as written by Colin Meloy

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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The Soldiering Life song meanings
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52 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I hear no 'gay' in this track, but I suppose we each hear something different and it could be about a gay couple fighting side-by-side. Who knows. Soldiers are like brothers, and when facing death they band together with such strength and solidarity...a unique love...a brotherly love. As for the Greeks and the limited number of "gay armies," here's a great article on exactly that: www (dot) historytoday (dot) com/louis-compton/army-lovers-sacred-band-thebes.
    Flag BringOntheMusic2012on December 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:There have been many excellent observations on the homoerotic nature of this song. Kudos on all who have noted this undertone of "The Soldiering Life and kudos even more on those noted that the love these men share is just as noble and heroic as it is, at least unconsciously, gay.
    However, as excellent as the interpretations just mentioned are, these interpretations fail to note the central theme -- that is, the essential meaning -- of this song. The central theme of this song is that war for all its horror and violence does have extremely positive aspects. That is all I have time to say right now and I will elaborate more on my interpretation of the song later, but for the present I just wanted to comment on the obvious, but often not mentioned, meaning of this song.
    Flag aumchordon December 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:At the show in Mesa on 8/11/11 Colin described The Soldiering Life as a "homoerotic love song" and dedicated it to the 2012 G.O.P. presidential hopefuls.
    Flag matta2kon August 14, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:This is a great, great song. It is also one of the gayest songs of all time not written by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

    "Our rifles blaze away
    We blaze away"

    Yep, sounds like they were "flaming" alright.

    *This is not to disparage homosexuality in any way. It's just to point out that this is a very, very gay song. It's also beautiful and wistful, sort of a doomed romantic tale.
    Flag parentheticalon August 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:Some of you make it seem like two soldiers on the battlefield can't be good friends without being homosexual. Even if this is a song laden with homoerotic meanings, all I can hear and see is some frightened soldiers that have become very close, like brothers or very close friends. And even if they're sleeping on the same mattress and staring at each other, it doesn't mean they're gay. I would do that with any of my female friends and I'm happily together with my boyfriend. I hold my friends very close to my heart and I trust them with everything, but that doesn't make me homosexual. I would take a bullet for any one of my friends, similar to the way our narrator would take a bullet for his brother in arms.
    Even if Collin meant for this to be semi-homoerotic, again, I'm not catching it.
    Flag OrigamiButterflyon January 20, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I love this song, and I definitely agree with all the people noting the homoerotic angle. In the context of the rest of the lyrics, the line, "my brother in arms" seems to have a double meaning.

    It seems like it's about a man who's in a terrifying situation, and also in love. "Never felt so much life" describes how I would think that might feel. That'd be a very emotionally intense situation.
    Flag CatAtomic99on January 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh yeah and for some reason the line we blaze away makes me imagine these soldiers just having a good time getting blazed!
    Flag ph3393on July 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i like this song a lot.. and in my opinion when listening i see more of a bond between soldiers than any gay stuff.. i like how this song has two tones between the chorus and the verses, from upbeat celebration almost to fearful dreadful stuff kind of
    Flag ph3393on July 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'Ambling madly all over the town'
    When I first heard that line the melody reminded me so much of a Beatles song....but I can't think of it! Agh.
    Flag blue.painted.tearson April 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok ftr you jack-ridden homos have the direct and complete oppostite of what we consider uncanny perception. so quit trying to decipher anything becuase you all are too arrogantly out of place to belittle yourselves with abject and humble recognition that you are all mindless thieves that will never admit wrongdoing. this song is clearly a lovesong from a gemini to himself when facing the horrors of the realization that the entire world is against him and shooting distinct criticism and hatred. very narcisisstic and not necearilly homoerotic becuase it speaks of an anti-masturbation sentiment. so cough you gay bastards. we all hate you for wasting the love.
    Flagged dipthehomosinavaton April 07, 2009   Link
    • 2 Replies

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