I see this song with a different spin that most people. I see it as a condemnation of both the parent’s generation, and the speaker’s generation. Most people see the first part, but not the second. The song is a call to action.
The boy next door (BND) is seen by the mother as a bad influence, but not by the speaker. The mother is content with the status quo, the BND isn’t. The speaker agrees with the BND, but the speaker regrets that while he is willing to work towards an ideal, the BND is headed towards despair (on the darker side of town.)
The speaker doesn’t understand why the BND doesn’t even look at him any longer, and wonders if his mother’s hopeless point of view that ‘things are the way they are and that is all you can hope for’ can be applied to the BND as well.
The BND seems to only be able to see the filth in the river and the dead fish, but is incapable of action.
The BND is hung up on the little concepts, the tiny flowers, but when told by the speaker that such little things aren’t important, implying that there are greater things to worry about, all the BND can do is stand and cry.
The speaker then issues a warning to both generations, examine the way things are, and truly ask yourself it that is the way they ought to stay? The speaker wants everyone to open their ears and do something, not just accept that nothing is going to change, as the mother accepts, and not fall into despair, as the BND has. Rather, the speaker wants everyone to do something before it’s too late.
I see this song with a different spin that most people. I see it as a condemnation of both the parent’s generation, and the speaker’s generation. Most people see the first part, but not the second. The song is a call to action.
The boy next door (BND) is seen by the mother as a bad influence, but not by the speaker. The mother is content with the status quo, the BND isn’t. The speaker agrees with the BND, but the speaker regrets that while he is willing to work towards an ideal, the BND is headed towards despair (on the darker side of town.)
The speaker doesn’t understand why the BND doesn’t even look at him any longer, and wonders if his mother’s hopeless point of view that ‘things are the way they are and that is all you can hope for’ can be applied to the BND as well.
The BND seems to only be able to see the filth in the river and the dead fish, but is incapable of action.
The BND is hung up on the little concepts, the tiny flowers, but when told by the speaker that such little things aren’t important, implying that there are greater things to worry about, all the BND can do is stand and cry.
The speaker then issues a warning to both generations, examine the way things are, and truly ask yourself it that is the way they ought to stay? The speaker wants everyone to open their ears and do something, not just accept that nothing is going to change, as the mother accepts, and not fall into despair, as the BND has. Rather, the speaker wants everyone to do something before it’s too late.
@Infinidean Exactly this
@Infinidean Exactly this