I'm definitely with forthelove on this one.
I just don't catch the terrorism/war interpretation.
To me, I see it as someone recounting their experiences of living and raising a family in their home town/city. The place they grew up in was once majestic and beautiful, but as of late it has begun to deteriorate and succomb to violence.
"In the here and now I'll wait
Down among the young and the old" (A man is living within a city, he is neither naive nor wise.)
"With the moon and the ground I play
With my children in my home" (He is able to raise a family in comfort. These two lines juxtapose what is about to be said about the less fortunate.
This draws attention to the fact that not everyone is as lucky as he is, and people around the country are in need of help morally, financially, and socially.)
"This is for the daughters and sons
Of forgotten ones" (Children/people of the city whose parents have passed away due to violence and crime)
"Learning how to stand" (These children must grow up without a parental figure, and learn to be independent by themselves)
"This is for the innocent unknowns
Buried in the sand" (Innocent unknowns are the people who continue to live but go unnoticed, uncared for. I don't take the sand literally, but rather I see it as a product of a deteriorating city. Basically, They are stuck in the city that they live in.)
"All running from the sound of a gun
Running from the sound of a gun 'till you're weary
Running from the sound of a gun
Running from the sound of a gun" (These children become involved in violence, or violence surrounds them in their daily life and they have no choice but to "run and hide")
"From the crack in the blackness I'll wake
It's getting closer every night" (Violence is creeping into his neighborhood? And he worries for his children.)
"In my city the playground is a battleground
Between the wrong and the right" (The city he had memories of once being a playground is now filled with gang wars, violence, and crime.)
"I could run free as a child
I was safe and wild
Naked, and unarmed" (He was once able to roam the city without fear)
"Now I'm gone and safe in my home
But some will never stop" (As an adult, he is able to live in a safe area, however not everyone is so lucky. they are forced into ghettos, poorer projects, etc.)
"The open mouth of the city
Swallowed up the town" (Over the years, as population expanded, poorer people were forced into this area of the city. Thus, the wealthy/upper class stopped caring about the area, and it began to fall apart.)
"On that same old concrete
That I still walk down
And it seemed they put a shine
On this place when I was young
Well maybe I just don't see it now" (Walking down the streets, he sees that the city has changed for the worse. In the past, it was a beautiful, thriving area. Now it has fallen apart and faded.
I'm definitely with forthelove on this one. I just don't catch the terrorism/war interpretation.
To me, I see it as someone recounting their experiences of living and raising a family in their home town/city. The place they grew up in was once majestic and beautiful, but as of late it has begun to deteriorate and succomb to violence.
"In the here and now I'll wait Down among the young and the old" (A man is living within a city, he is neither naive nor wise.)
"With the moon and the ground I play With my children in my home" (He is able to raise a family in comfort. These two lines juxtapose what is about to be said about the less fortunate. This draws attention to the fact that not everyone is as lucky as he is, and people around the country are in need of help morally, financially, and socially.)
"This is for the daughters and sons Of forgotten ones" (Children/people of the city whose parents have passed away due to violence and crime)
"Learning how to stand" (These children must grow up without a parental figure, and learn to be independent by themselves)
"This is for the innocent unknowns Buried in the sand" (Innocent unknowns are the people who continue to live but go unnoticed, uncared for. I don't take the sand literally, but rather I see it as a product of a deteriorating city. Basically, They are stuck in the city that they live in.)
"All running from the sound of a gun Running from the sound of a gun 'till you're weary Running from the sound of a gun Running from the sound of a gun" (These children become involved in violence, or violence surrounds them in their daily life and they have no choice but to "run and hide")
"From the crack in the blackness I'll wake It's getting closer every night" (Violence is creeping into his neighborhood? And he worries for his children.)
"In my city the playground is a battleground Between the wrong and the right" (The city he had memories of once being a playground is now filled with gang wars, violence, and crime.)
"I could run free as a child I was safe and wild Naked, and unarmed" (He was once able to roam the city without fear)
"Now I'm gone and safe in my home But some will never stop" (As an adult, he is able to live in a safe area, however not everyone is so lucky. they are forced into ghettos, poorer projects, etc.)
"The open mouth of the city Swallowed up the town" (Over the years, as population expanded, poorer people were forced into this area of the city. Thus, the wealthy/upper class stopped caring about the area, and it began to fall apart.)
"On that same old concrete That I still walk down And it seemed they put a shine On this place when I was young Well maybe I just don't see it now" (Walking down the streets, he sees that the city has changed for the worse. In the past, it was a beautiful, thriving area. Now it has fallen apart and faded.