This song is about the utter arbitrary nature of war and other events that call people to arms. It reminds you of the terrible consequences that normal people have to pay for other people's mistakes. The song reduces these things to an individual vs. an unknowable "other," and as the audience it's hard to tell who's on the right side. I think that's purposeful. It's not about which side is which or who's who, it's illustrating that we often fight unknown enemies because crushing, inevitable events have converged to force us to fight against all instincts.
That includes personal conflict and government drafting, and even mass voluntary enlistment in wartime. Everyone thinks they are doing the right thing, but in the end it's just you and a gun, and many times people end up as one of the numbers that "add up to nothing."
This song reminds me of The Red Badge of Courage, where no sides were named, it was more about the tragic experience of war on the individual.
This song is about the utter arbitrary nature of war and other events that call people to arms. It reminds you of the terrible consequences that normal people have to pay for other people's mistakes. The song reduces these things to an individual vs. an unknowable "other," and as the audience it's hard to tell who's on the right side. I think that's purposeful. It's not about which side is which or who's who, it's illustrating that we often fight unknown enemies because crushing, inevitable events have converged to force us to fight against all instincts.
That includes personal conflict and government drafting, and even mass voluntary enlistment in wartime. Everyone thinks they are doing the right thing, but in the end it's just you and a gun, and many times people end up as one of the numbers that "add up to nothing."
This song reminds me of The Red Badge of Courage, where no sides were named, it was more about the tragic experience of war on the individual.