In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I see the Middle Kingdom between Heaven and Earth
Like the Chinese call the country of their birth
We all figure that our homes are set above
Other people than the ones we know and love
In every place with a name
They play the same territorial game
Hiding behind the lines
Sending up warning signs
The whole wide world
An endless universe
Yet we keep looking through
The eyeglass in reverse
Don't feed the people
But we feed the machines
Can't really feel
What international means
In different circles
We keep holding our ground
Indifferent circles
We keep spinning round and round
We see so many tribes -- overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they've left behind
Better people -- better food -- and better beer
Why move around the world when Eden was so near?
The bosses get talking so tough
And if that wasn't evil enough
We get the drunken and passionate pride
Of the citizens along for the ride
They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled
Like the Chinese call the country of their birth
We all figure that our homes are set above
Other people than the ones we know and love
In every place with a name
They play the same territorial game
Hiding behind the lines
Sending up warning signs
The whole wide world
An endless universe
Yet we keep looking through
The eyeglass in reverse
Don't feed the people
But we feed the machines
Can't really feel
What international means
In different circles
We keep holding our ground
Indifferent circles
We keep spinning round and round
We see so many tribes -- overrun and undermined
While their invaders dream of lands they've left behind
Better people -- better food -- and better beer
Why move around the world when Eden was so near?
The bosses get talking so tough
And if that wasn't evil enough
We get the drunken and passionate pride
Of the citizens along for the ride
They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
"We get the drunken and passionate pride of the citizens along for the ride"
Ah yes, nationalism. That which allows people from all walks of life to come together and forget that whatever vague cause they're cheering has absolutely fuckall to do with the borders of their homeland. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in the US you can see these misguided flag-wavers on both the right and the left. They plaster their Hummers/hybrids with shallow slogans about what they think of "America" but don't realize that their notion of "America" has been dead for decades. The American Way is causing all our problems and the American Dream is taken for granted, so what's America but lines in the sand?
"Can't really feel What international means"
Yes, I agree with a lot of the ideas mentioned here. This quotation above really sums it up for me. We claim that ideas like globalization really exists. We claim to have peace among ourselves. Yet we are surrounded and divided by borders. I think this song is suggesting how ridiculous nationalism can be; that we should just consider ourselves human, men and women of Earth, and function entirely the way our countries function--together.
Perfect explanation and what I believe also to be the true spirit of this song.
I like to look at this as "Subdivions" on a larger scale. It is about the petty rivalies that occur between countries and even differents regions.
In my opinion, Territories is a call for unity, almost expounding on John Lennon's calls for unity in Imagine and his public appearances. This is a call for peace; a wake up call, if you like. Rush is asking us to look through the eyeglass correctly. Quit creating divisions from our differences, but instead, find our similarities. 'Citizen of the World' really seems to convey the idea of the song best.
It's like ... every country is so detached from each other. But it's all one world -- we should see ourselves as citizens of the world, and not identify with only one part of it.
Great song!
This song goes beyond nationalism. It's the whole "us vs them...we rule-you suck'" mentality.
The line "or the color of your shirt" refers to sports teams, I think. Fans of opposing teams getting in fights at ball games over what happens in the game. How ridiculous is THAT? People living vicariously through a bunch of overppaid, steroidal prima donnas? Why? Because people have done nothing in their own lives to be proud of...so they leech onto a sports team and try to pretend they deserve some of the credit for the team's success.
Not just professional of collegiate level teams. Ever see parents at little league games acting like a freaking kids' game is a matter of life and death?
People do that with bands, too. For a perfect example of this idiotic mentality, just look at the first page of comments on Tom Sawyer in this very website. Pathetic!
The song to me is about everyone thinking that they are the best. Each country will claim to have the best beer, the best foods, the best sports teams, but all this "I'm the best" mentality keeps people from understanding and appreciating other places "Can't really feel what international means" and it's this mentality that keeps everyone from seeing the broad picture and appreciating the entire world "The whole wide world, and endless universe, yet we keep looking at the eyeglass in reverse" It's like looking through binoculars backwards and not seeing what's off in the distance, only what is right here in front of you.
One thing I see people not mentioning, or somehow I have missed being mentioned, is the chorus itself.
"Don't feed the people, but we feed the machines."
That this was true back when the song was written and is more prevalent today, is truly frightening.
We serve that which is supposed to serve us. Corporations receiving benefits that other's don't even have the option to die for. Greedy closed-minded people who care nothing for anything outside of their immediate world, waving their own 'flags' on capital hill in the hands of lobbyists.
They send our children to die for them and keep us myopic and afraid of anything outside of ourselves so that we'll never question them.
This is a protest song as much as anything else. It is an anthem against the machine as much as anything Rage had ever created.