The line about the veterans fast asleep at the traffic light is one of my favorite in the song, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with old people (a few people have said it does). This song came out in '76, which means all the Vietnam veterans had just come home and were very young. I think the meaning has more to do with what someone else sais above about Veterans getting bored with the civilian life. I think there's even a little more to it than that...more like they are sleepwalking through a wasted life.
The line about the veterans fast asleep at the traffic light is one of my favorite in the song, but I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with old people (a few people have said it does). This song came out in '76, which means all the Vietnam veterans had just come home and were very young. I think the meaning has more to do with what someone else sais above about Veterans getting bored with the civilian life. I think there's even a little more to it than that...more like they are sleepwalking through a wasted life.