I've always taken a more literal view of this song--I think it refers to wars, and how unfair wars are to the soldiers who have to fight in them. The middle portion of the song (Disillusion) exemplifies this to me. The line, "loneliness is a pow'r that we possess to give or take away forever," speaks to me about life and death and how easy it is to cause some woman half a world away to become a widow when you have no other choice. The movement ends with, "As I see a new day in me, I can also show it you and you may follow," which I think is about how war changes the soldiers in a way they never knew possible, but all they can do is hope to pass on what they have learned to the guy next to them, and hopefully it will keep both of them alive.
One of the greatest things about good music is that it can mean so many different things to the people who listen to it. This is one of those songs whose meaning is dependant upon the listener, and that's one reason I love Yes--regardless of the musicians' intentions, this song has a deep and emotional impact no matter what your interpretation.
I've always taken a more literal view of this song--I think it refers to wars, and how unfair wars are to the soldiers who have to fight in them. The middle portion of the song (Disillusion) exemplifies this to me. The line, "loneliness is a pow'r that we possess to give or take away forever," speaks to me about life and death and how easy it is to cause some woman half a world away to become a widow when you have no other choice. The movement ends with, "As I see a new day in me, I can also show it you and you may follow," which I think is about how war changes the soldiers in a way they never knew possible, but all they can do is hope to pass on what they have learned to the guy next to them, and hopefully it will keep both of them alive.
One of the greatest things about good music is that it can mean so many different things to the people who listen to it. This is one of those songs whose meaning is dependant upon the listener, and that's one reason I love Yes--regardless of the musicians' intentions, this song has a deep and emotional impact no matter what your interpretation.
i definitely agree that the first line in Disillusion (loneliness is a power...) is that we have the power to kill or love.
i definitely agree that the first line in Disillusion (loneliness is a power...) is that we have the power to kill or love.