I think it could be about social Darwinism, on a national scale. The plaintive way in which Thom sings it, as well as the forceful emotion that is given to the stronger person )or country) devouring the smaller, weaker one, suggests that the better off entity is preying on the less fortunate. Parts of the song such as "If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth" also reinforce this idea, since they allude to the "runt of the litter" being removed from the equation because it had less of a fighting chance, or as an elimination of competition. It doesn't matter how messy the situation is, whatever imperialistic predator this could be about is ready to drain them to sustain itself.
I think it could be about social Darwinism, on a national scale. The plaintive way in which Thom sings it, as well as the forceful emotion that is given to the stronger person )or country) devouring the smaller, weaker one, suggests that the better off entity is preying on the less fortunate. Parts of the song such as "If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth" also reinforce this idea, since they allude to the "runt of the litter" being removed from the equation because it had less of a fighting chance, or as an elimination of competition. It doesn't matter how messy the situation is, whatever imperialistic predator this could be about is ready to drain them to sustain itself.