Weekend

Lights out Boys sleepwalking on the weekend. Black out Two nights killing off a best friend

"Lights out" signifies nighttime, or darkness. I picture boys out in the streets late into the night on a weekend. They are part of a gang, and part of being in it is to beat up people which may be what "black out" means. They are "sleepwalking" because they go throughout life without thinking about it; they go through an endless cycle where they don't have to think about what you're doing. "Two nights killing off a best friend." The weekend consists of two days obviously and this is the time where they turn to violence, even if it means turning against friends to stay in the gang, to stay tough, to keep the cycle going.

Fall out like soldiers walking off to the deep end Hands out Don't stop marching til the hearts rend

Soldiers in war may walk off to the "deep end," literally or metaphorically. In the literal sense, they could be crossing the border into enemy territory. Metaphorically, they could be going very far to fight mindlessly against men that are just like them. Brave soldiers or forced soldiers alike will keep marching into battle until they fall and cannot get up. The boys described in the beginning may be doing the same: they continue doing what they do until it causes their destruction.

The time goes by And sets the stage They play their parts And act their age They never forget the lines that they say

As life goes on, there is a "stage" where they each have a duty. Like a play, they will remember the events in their lives just as an actor would remember their lines and movements.

Speaking slowly

I promise you one day I promise you always We'll make it out one day I promise you always

This is kind of a promise, a possibly hopeless promise. A promise that everything will be okay in the end.

Nights out Girls keep on walking on the east end White out Two lights shining on a dead end

The scene of the boys switches to the girls. They're feeling hopeless and lonely, so they take a walk late into the night. As they reach a dead end, there are cars which have "two lights shining" on them.

Drawn out Like circles trailing off the pavement Stand out Don't stop marching til the hearts mend

Just like the light that stands out, the girls stand out as well. When it says "don't stop marching till hearts mend" I think these girls are turning to sex and prostitution. They take those late night walks in hopes of finding freedom, sex, and money to mend their hearts by filling in the void.

So after looking at each part and putting it all together, I think the song kind of speaks out to young people that are feeling lost and hopeless. Boys turn to violence and girls turn to sex. They turn to these things to fill in the void. Hopefully they will have some kind of happy ending someday, but when the promise is weighed out against the rest of the song, it seems more like an empty promise.