In addition to what everyone else thinks...I think this song has similar meaning to that of Girl in the War. I think it's another anti-war song.
Here is my interpretation:
In the first verse, he is travelling from our world over to the war sites. The references to Hamlet means we should learn from our past. The ghosts of the current war will come back to haunt us.
The second verse, the elusive "I" is hovering 'above the fire' - the battle fields. God is off in some remote room, not able to see/not wanting to see what we have created.
In the third verse, we are in the thick of the fighting. There is depression, bloodshed, terror. At the end of that verse, Ritter talks about the formation of a paradise Royal City. The "royal city" we, as America, are planning for Iraq. But like the last line, its hard to believe there aint a hell of a chance.
The last verse is how things should be...back at home. At home is where everything makes sense. It's the feel of the hometown that he is trying to get across in this song. No matter how much we try to make the Iraqis embrace democracy, what they, as well as us, really need is to allow for what works best for each of us.
That is just an overview of my thoughts on this song. The beauty of songs is that they can mean something different to different people.
In addition to what everyone else thinks...I think this song has similar meaning to that of Girl in the War. I think it's another anti-war song.
Here is my interpretation:
In the first verse, he is travelling from our world over to the war sites. The references to Hamlet means we should learn from our past. The ghosts of the current war will come back to haunt us. The second verse, the elusive "I" is hovering 'above the fire' - the battle fields. God is off in some remote room, not able to see/not wanting to see what we have created.
In the third verse, we are in the thick of the fighting. There is depression, bloodshed, terror. At the end of that verse, Ritter talks about the formation of a paradise Royal City. The "royal city" we, as America, are planning for Iraq. But like the last line, its hard to believe there aint a hell of a chance. The last verse is how things should be...back at home. At home is where everything makes sense. It's the feel of the hometown that he is trying to get across in this song. No matter how much we try to make the Iraqis embrace democracy, what they, as well as us, really need is to allow for what works best for each of us.
That is just an overview of my thoughts on this song. The beauty of songs is that they can mean something different to different people.