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Peter said to Paul
"All those words that we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go"
But now talkin' to God is Laurel beggin' Hardy for a gun
I gotta girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done
Paul said to Petey
"You gotta rock yourself a little harder,
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
And I got a girl in the war, Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through
Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them
And I gotta girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell
Paul to Petey "you gotta rock yourself a little harder,
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
But I gotta girl in the war, Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
Sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
"All those words that we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go"
But now talkin' to God is Laurel beggin' Hardy for a gun
I gotta girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done
Paul said to Petey
"You gotta rock yourself a little harder,
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
And I got a girl in the war, Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through
Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them
And I gotta girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell
Paul to Petey "you gotta rock yourself a little harder,
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
But I gotta girl in the war, Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
Sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
Lyrics submitted by angryostrich
Track duration: 04:24
"Girl in the War" as written by Josh Ritter
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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...rock yourself a little harder...pretend...feet on fire
this verse I believe is explaining how everyone faces difficult challenges. Challenges that risk the price of salvation. Paul is explaining this to Peter.
...Keys to kingdom...angels fly around...
...if they cant...they can go to hell...
He is helpless to help her and basically saying if the glory of heaven is unattainable then they can have it.
Beautiful song. One of my all time fav's.
“all those words we wrote” refers to the Old and New Testaments, of which Peter and Paul were both major influences. This reference to the Bible can also be interpreted as one’s ideals, love, hope, peace, etc., faith in general.
-Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go-
In times of desperation, it is difficult to find solace, and one can no longer depend on one’s previous perceptions of reality to bring comfort.
-But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun-
Laurel and Hardy were a comedic duo from the late 1800s and early 1900s in Britain. This reference, firstly, demotes the act of “talking to God” as a joke. Looking more into it, Laurel is the more oafish one of the couple. This reference relates humanity to Laurel, and God to Hardy. If Laurel were to ask Hardy for anything substantial, Hardy would discount him and go on his own merry way.
-I’ve got a girl in the war-
the girl, representing an innocence to reality or personal eden, is the provider of love and hope and sustains the barrier one puts between oneself and reality. When times get hard, this ideal is put at stake, or put “at war”.
Paul said to Peter you gotta rock yourself a little harder, pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire-
Paul is saying get yourself together, “rock yourself a little harder”, and find your faith again, because God or Percieved Reality, is both a dove and a dragon. The dove being a symbol of peace, hope, love and nurturing and the dragon being both a creator and a destroyer. By losing one’s faith, one can place themselves in a lot of trouble because faith is what helps us find meaning.
-The only thing I know to do is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through-
In hard times, it seems all there is for one to do is wait to see if the faith can restore itself, and in the meantime drown out the reality one is facing.
-The keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom-
faith, hope and love are difficult to sustain because they are all self sustaining and come from within- they cannot be confirmed by an external reality.
-And the angels fly around in there, but we can’t see them-
if there is any hope to be had, it doesn’t show itself or is very difficult to find.
-But I got a girl in the war, Paul, her eyes are like champagne, they sparkle, bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain-
the girl, representing an innocence to reality or personal eden, is the provider of love and hope and sustains the barrier one puts between oneself and reality. This barrier, like Champagne, is sweet, exciting and intoxicating. But ultimately champagne goes flat, the barrier breaks down, and all you have left is rain- a disappointing shadow of what one once thought to be everything there is.
Regardless of how you interpret the song or what it means to you, I think we can all agree that it is amazing and powerful.
Some irony: I was at the Boynton Chapel in Door Co. WI and I couldn't help but think of this song. The chapel was built on the basis of Peace (a novel concept ;) but there is a lot of Christian designs along the walls. In an archway in the front of the chapel one side there is a painting of Peter, on the other Paul. Peter is holding two keys- one to the Kingdom, another to the chapel. Above them, carved into the wood archway, is a dove and on each side of it dragons. All I could think of was: a) "pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire". I have never heard of a dragon next to a dove in any setting but apparently the dragon is a sign of protection in Norse mythology, and the dove is a sign of peace in a lot of western cultures. I just thought it was really ironic this was directly above the images of Paul and Peter. b) Peter is holding the key to the kingdom (and the one to the chapel) and painted on the ceiling are angels. "The keys to the Kingdom got locked inside the Kingdom"?. (maybe not as strong) c) (probably the most ironic) The chapel was built right as WWII was starting because they (the husband and wife that built it) were looking for peace in a time of war.
I know that this song is not about that chapel, I just couldn't help but make the comparison when I was there. =D
Now what did you say the song was about? Oh, you didn't :)
Peter and Paul are the Democrats and Republicans, respectively, and the girl is the U.S. (our humanity).
"All those words that we wrote" is the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence...the people back then talking to God declaring their integrity and intention.
But NOW the adressing of the powers that be is done by "Laurel and Hardy"--different political parties, different countries--two normally loveable (tho accident-prone) buffoons asking for power, that will in the end turn their old slapstick routine into something bloody and deadly.
"Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire" reflects the Republicans' insistence that anything (especially something flying) that can be interpreted as a threat (no matter how innocuous) should be, and should be met with utmost intensity.
"Turn up the (protest) music and pray she makes it thru"... what can a peacenik do but crank up the protest, and hope as many make it home as possible, including human lives and the soul of our country.
"The kingdom" is the Whitehouse, with the holy untouchables inside, either not hearing the voices of those who want to the war to end, or not being able to end it ("if they can't find a way to help").
I think the "sparkling, bubbling" eyes of champagne is the celebration and idealism on which this country was established which, all these years later, is threatened to be overcome by the elements (rain... gunfire, grief, "the natural course of thing"?).
Beautiful, so clever, I love this song and Josh Ritter.
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