This is one of my favorite songs on Tyrrany of Distance, though I don't fully understand the lyrics. My impression is that it uses the metaphor of a divided nation (Vietnam) to illustrate a divided individual--mostly a son divided in loyalties to parents. The DMZ language is pretty obvious as referring to the de-militarized zone between North and South Vietnam.
I think the most interesting verses begin with the fourth one, with the reference to Odysseus and Telemachus, who were father and son. The last line of that verse is a reference to Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" which has a strong father-son dialectic running throughout it.
I think there's also a sense of asking the question "do we make our days or do our days make us?" That is, do we determine our fate through our own explorations--as Odysseus--or are we bound to the fate of our forebears, as Dedalus? Leo throws in another possible Joyce reference with "land-ho, Ulysseus!" but I have to admit that I never made it all the way through "Ulysses" so I'll let someone else pick up on that part.
This is one of my favorite songs on Tyrrany of Distance, though I don't fully understand the lyrics. My impression is that it uses the metaphor of a divided nation (Vietnam) to illustrate a divided individual--mostly a son divided in loyalties to parents. The DMZ language is pretty obvious as referring to the de-militarized zone between North and South Vietnam.
I think the most interesting verses begin with the fourth one, with the reference to Odysseus and Telemachus, who were father and son. The last line of that verse is a reference to Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" which has a strong father-son dialectic running throughout it.
I think there's also a sense of asking the question "do we make our days or do our days make us?" That is, do we determine our fate through our own explorations--as Odysseus--or are we bound to the fate of our forebears, as Dedalus? Leo throws in another possible Joyce reference with "land-ho, Ulysseus!" but I have to admit that I never made it all the way through "Ulysses" so I'll let someone else pick up on that part.