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The future teaches you to be alone
The present to be afraid and cold
"So if I can shoot rabbits then I can shoot fascists."
Bullets for your brain today
But we'll forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder.
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, Will be next, Will be next.
Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain.
Holes in your head today
But I'm a pacifist
I've walked La Ramblas but not with real intent.
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, Will be next, Will be next.
"And on the street tonight
An old man plays with newspaper cuttings of his glory days."
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next.
The present to be afraid and cold
"So if I can shoot rabbits then I can shoot fascists."
Bullets for your brain today
But we'll forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder.
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, Will be next, Will be next.
Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain.
Holes in your head today
But I'm a pacifist
I've walked La Ramblas but not with real intent.
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, Will be next, Will be next.
"And on the street tonight
An old man plays with newspaper cuttings of his glory days."
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next.
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Instrument leads going skywards, stuck behind the glass wall singing, the perfect family unit sat by the fountain blind and dumb behind a lowing mirror, this song and the film that goes with it was made by someone that is well read in more than history. Oxygen mask, nice touch... 'Clean air, breathe'
What we are building ourselves up for with what we are doing now is certainly going to rival anything we've seen thus far, Albert Einstein said" I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but world War IV will be fought with sticks and stones", and he was known for not being a daft bloke.
'Bullets for your brain today
But we'll forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder'
This is saying how easily past wars become irrelevant. People in countries all over the world have fought against tyranny in many different forms, but once it's all over, we usually just put up a monument or two as a reminder of the sacrifices made and move on. It's little more than lip service, because few of us today would be willing to make the same sacrifices if it were inconvenient for us.
'Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain'
This is saying how the majority of the younger generations today are far too superficial and materialistic. Maybe it's because we're so privileged now, but things like civil rights, freedom, justice, etc. are really not that high on our agendas anymore.
'Holes in your head today
But I'm a pacifist
I've walked La Ramblas
But not with real intent'
I guess this is saying that even though you're being shot at and having to dodge bullets, the singer does nothing because he claims to be a pacifist. He's walked La Ramblas as a tourist rather than a fighter.
'And on the street tonight an old man plays
With newspaper cuttings of his glory days'
Probably about how the older people who fought in past wars are now taken for granted.
'And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
And if you tolerate this
Then your children will be next
Will be next, will be next, will be next'
If we tolerate the bad things that happen around us, which we generally do, our children will be the ones that suffer.
The present to be afraid and cold
'So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists'
Fuck, there's much to that. 'Accept it.' 'Take the leap, else: to be alone.' etc. And the obvious main meaning, the war stuff you've wrote about.
It's about a farmer joining the International Brigades, which were set up by the Russians and fighting the Nationalists
"so if i can shoot rabbits
then i can shoot facists"
The title is from a Republican poster at the time calling for people from other countries to volunteer to fight Franco and the Nationalists. But in the end the British government secretly helped the Nationalists and turned Spain Facists just to protect buisness interests and to stop the war spreading.
As an Spaniard I had family quite neutral in those days, even though they were accused of being from one or another side.
Of course it is known for everybody that Comunist had a great influence and support from the URSS. And I have read in the comments about Franco`s side to be called nationalist side, that`s not the way they were called exactlly. The right way they were called during the civil war was "National Side" not Nacionalist. I think its a question of translation.
Anyway I think that now a days this song could be refered to ETA murderers and how Nationalist (In this case yes it is Nationalist) Basques have been looking the other way for more than 30 years.
That is my point of view, from an skeptical about political.
Song could be (for example) :
* About chavs en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… ;)
* war in spain
* general moral
INTERESTING NOTES :
====================
user1951 :
"If you tolerate this your children will be next" is a phrase applicable to many events in history. The British government effectively supported Franco by pretending there was a "blockade" of Spain and no arms could be provided "to either side". The Fascists got arms, the opponents did not. Who cares it was only Spanish peasants who were being killed and only Spanish communists who were being tortured...and then within three years it was our turn.
You can interpret this any way you life of course, but we used to criticise other countries for imprisoning people without trial. We never thought our own allies would torture people and our government would applaud them.
When you look at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo the phrase "if you tolerate this your children could be next" should inform our response.
When I mentioned this song to an American friend she responded "we have plenty of manic street preachers over here!"
cabie :
Its interesting that someone discussed this as being a response to a George Orwell story. In his book, "Inside the Whale and Other Essays", Orwell describes and incident in the village he was serving in in Burma. An elephant goes on a rampage and kills a man and Orwell (Blair), is called down to the field where the elephant stands, now docile and eating grass. The man lies nearby, the skin ripped off his back by the force of the elephant's foot crushing him. Blair stands there, unsure and acutely aware that the gathered people expect him to do something. He shoots the elephant twice in the head, mortally embarassed that an essentially harmless and innocent creature should die simply because he feels like he needs to assert his authority. He writes the story as a kind of catharsis for the self loathing he experiences.
FACTS & SONG :
==============
FACT Manics are from Wales - part of Britain.
FACT? British goverment refused to support the Republic in the WW2 allowing Hitler to test Blitzkrieg.
FACT La Ramblas is main street in Barcelona (use maps.google.com ).
"I've walked La Ramblas but not with real intent"
FACT for some it is easier to shoot dehumanized enemies (trough propaganda ...)
FACT it is phrase from Orwell socialistreview.org.uk/…
"So if I can shoot rabbits
Then I can shoot fascists"
FACT? one one of albums there was description to this song :
"a tribute to not only to one of George Orwell's short stories, but a song about honoring the past and hope for the future"
FACT? some returned to England / America as broken men because fascist were better equiped & organized
"Gravity keeps my head down
Or is it maybe shame
At being so young and being so vain"
FACT some were pacifist and idealistic until they saw their friends get killed
"Holes in your head today
But I'm a pacifist
I've walked La Ramblas
But not with real intent "
FACT? victorious Spanish fascist remained neutral in WW2
ALSO seed NOTE about Orwell and elephant
"Bullets for your brain today
But we'll forget it all again
Monuments put from pen to paper
Turns me into a gutless wonder"
RECOMMENDED :
=============
I recommend reading SunZu's Art of War chinapage.com/… . He discusses all the things which may help the vicory. One of those things is also that the soldier should see official reason for their fight as a good thing.
Army may / may not be trustworthy (to soldiers, people ...).
Cause of fight/ war which may / may not be good (to soldiers, people ...).
Even other countries may be affected by the war.
NAME OF SONG :
================
FACT? There was a poster with "If You tolerat this then Your children will be next" artistquirk.com/if-you-tolerate-this-then-your-children-will-be-next-/ (image) used as a propaganda against Franco's Nationalists.
Maybe not how it was actually meant when Nicky Wire wrote it but I think it can definately be interpreted in that way.