I have a different interpretation of this song. While I do believe Josh Ritter is singing about the current war in Iraq, I also think this song may be about his girlfriend battling an illness. The line "If they can't find a way to help her they can go to hell" means, if the Dr's can't find a way to help her they can do just that, go to hell. Girl in the war means the girl is at war with an illness...."Her eyes are like chapagne, they sparkle bubble over, in the morning all you've got is rain..." means to me that her eyes are so crisp and clear and bubbly...but due to her sickness, they've lost their luster like a clear glass of champagne and now are like rain and cloudy. If you've ever seen a person's eyes when they're sick, they look like that.
Just my 2 cents.
I have a different interpretation of this song. While I do believe Josh Ritter is singing about the current war in Iraq, I also think this song may be about his girlfriend battling an illness. The line "If they can't find a way to help her they can go to hell" means, if the Dr's can't find a way to help her they can do just that, go to hell. Girl in the war means the girl is at war with an illness...."Her eyes are like chapagne, they sparkle bubble over, in the morning all you've got is rain..." means to me that her eyes are so crisp and clear and bubbly...but due to her sickness, they've lost their luster like a clear glass of champagne and now are like rain and cloudy. If you've ever seen a person's eyes when they're sick, they look like that. Just my 2 cents.