To understand and interpret this song one must understand the connection between the lyrics and the singing/chanting at the end of the song by the Liverpool fans. Why was this included in the song although none of the band members were (reportedly) Liverpool fans? The secret to this lies in the history of the LFC and key cultural aspects of the club - such as the Kop (where the fans recorded are sitting) and the song You’ll never walk alone. The iconic stand at Merseyside: the Kop, is named after the battle of Spioenkop during the Anglo-Boer war (1899 - 1902). The word Kop means hill in Afrikaans (the language of the Boers). During this battle a full battalion of English soldiers from Liverpool was wiped out. This was probably the worst war trauma the city has ever suffered. The bravery of these soldiers is celebrated till today by Liverpool fans - through the naming of the stand and singing of the song You’ll never walk alone. And of course in the aftermath of this war the poor decision making by commanders was blamed for these deaths.
Against this background I interpret the song as (i) a tribute to all soldiers who have died in wars and through that have demonstrated their fearlessness and (ii) an indictment of politicians/leaders/commanders who (from a safe distance) can litterally send people to their death.
Although these leaders/politicians/commanders (the magistrates) have power and authority (through the crown) over ordinary people (the idiots) they are ultimately proven to be the idiots while the ordinary people are celebrated as heroes.
To understand and interpret this song one must understand the connection between the lyrics and the singing/chanting at the end of the song by the Liverpool fans. Why was this included in the song although none of the band members were (reportedly) Liverpool fans? The secret to this lies in the history of the LFC and key cultural aspects of the club - such as the Kop (where the fans recorded are sitting) and the song You’ll never walk alone. The iconic stand at Merseyside: the Kop, is named after the battle of Spioenkop during the Anglo-Boer war (1899 - 1902). The word Kop means hill in Afrikaans (the language of the Boers). During this battle a full battalion of English soldiers from Liverpool was wiped out. This was probably the worst war trauma the city has ever suffered. The bravery of these soldiers is celebrated till today by Liverpool fans - through the naming of the stand and singing of the song You’ll never walk alone. And of course in the aftermath of this war the poor decision making by commanders was blamed for these deaths.
Against this background I interpret the song as (i) a tribute to all soldiers who have died in wars and through that have demonstrated their fearlessness and (ii) an indictment of politicians/leaders/commanders who (from a safe distance) can litterally send people to their death.
Although these leaders/politicians/commanders (the magistrates) have power and authority (through the crown) over ordinary people (the idiots) they are ultimately proven to be the idiots while the ordinary people are celebrated as heroes.