In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
He imagines the world
As the angel ascending
Like the ghost of a man
Who is tied up to the chair
And he tries to believe
That his life has a meaning
With his hand on his heart
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
And I wake up blind
Like my dreams were too bright
And I lost my regard
For the good things that I had
And the radio was sad
When you listen for good
In a hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
You act so nonchalant
But he is not a dog
Perform for you in the stadium
For the world, not for the war
And he won't hesitate
Though it might lead to heartache
In the nightclub Indigo
For the world, not for the war
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
When you listen for good
In the hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
Believing it's good
Behind their jaded eyes: a dilemma
He's the best you've ever had
He's so low you'll never know
He's the best you've ever known
He's so low you'll never know
He's so low you'll never know
(He's the best)
As the angel ascending
Like the ghost of a man
Who is tied up to the chair
And he tries to believe
That his life has a meaning
With his hand on his heart
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
And I wake up blind
Like my dreams were too bright
And I lost my regard
For the good things that I had
And the radio was sad
When you listen for good
In a hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
You act so nonchalant
But he is not a dog
Perform for you in the stadium
For the world, not for the war
And he won't hesitate
Though it might lead to heartache
In the nightclub Indigo
For the world, not for the war
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
When you listen for good
In the hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
Believing it's good
Behind their jaded eyes: a dilemma
He's the best you've ever had
He's so low you'll never know
He's the best you've ever known
He's so low you'll never know
He's so low you'll never know
(He's the best)
Lyrics submitted by Loose Tongue
Pour le Monde Lyrics as written by Neil Finn
Lyrics © CHRYSALIS SONGS O/B/O ROUNDHEAD MUSIC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Like dizrythmia girl, I think this is a song about Paul Hester.
I think it's about protecting Paul's good reputation (countering the liars that have moved in). It's about pulling the tightest circle possible around someone who was so precious in life.
I think this song must have taken some guts to write; and it demonstrates again an admirable friendship at play here between two amazing blokes.
I love Crowded House's songs already, but I'm finding I'm more inspired daily by their integrity.
I adore this song firstly.
Secondly, I suspect this song is about either President George W Bush or Prime Minister John Howard and the decision to invade Iraq just by the chorus and the second verse because I heard an interview with the band saying that they were opposed to the war but I am really am not sure
I think its about Paul Hester in some ways and about something completely different in others, like for example, "And he won't hesitate, though it may lead to heart ache." Paul Hester suicided, so he sort of lead to heart ache with out his own hesitation ofending his own life, this is just my views and I am not certain.
I adore this song. I think it's about George W.
I recall Neil saying in interview that the liars are Bush and Blair, the rest follows.
Great songs, like One by U2, can have different meanings for different people. I have always thought that this song refers to Hugo Chavez, democratic President of Venezuela, often much maligned by western media since in the eyes of the USA, he's a damn commie. He is loved by his people and a great reformer, just about the only man in our world today to stand up to Big Oil, and to use oil revenues for the people, not the wealthy elite. If you were to read unbiased, true reports about him, you would be stunned.
The liars who believe their own dark medicine are obviously the neocons who were behind the Bush throne (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove et al.) and their supporters like Blair and his team of spin doctors who all drummed up the lies they fed us. Cheney always wanted a middle east country for his experiment in free market ideology (the dark medicine), even before they came to power in 2000. Hence the referral to 'not a dog... perform for you in the stadium': one of the first of these experimenters was Pinochet, brutal dictator of Chile and close friend of Thatcher, who was heard on his military radio calling the then democratic President Allende, 'the dog' as his tanks moved in to remove him from the palace in their coup, and who was infamous for torturing thousands of dissidents in football stadiums before they all 'disappeared'.
During the noughties, many of us woke up blind, just because we had bright dreams, and seeing all the despair in the world brought our hopes to nothing as the wrong ones were in power. 9/11 was NOT some conspiracy but it was the perfect moment to get support for an invasion of Iraq, as long as they could make the lies stick for just long enough to get troops in there, and then tear down the civil service and introduce a true free market (which resulted in a country raped and plundered and no good result). The only part they never managed to really free up was the oil - THAT would have launched World War III. Back then, Chavez was just about the best we had, a real man and leader, committed to hope and peace. Let us hope it was just a bad phase (though the ultra-rich still need to have their dreams shattered. Let us at least try).
Just my humble opinion :-)