Short: an universal song about the complicated relationship to family
Long:
(This is what I first thought when I started to listen to it, I'm deliberately ignoring some readings.)
I interpret it as a description about the Irish nationalist/unionist or protestant/catholic -trifle. But it could well apply to any family in times of crisis, internal or external.
"surrounded by city and by sea"
Could be his homeplace Dún Laoghaire, but for some reason I thought of Donegal near the northern border.
"A saint is chasing a snake
For everybody's sake
So they go burning cars"
Reference to riots & violence, happening in the 80's and early 90's in Northern Ireland, and it sounds quite cynical a statement - like he's asking "we love our country - but what good does rioting/burning cars/wrecking the place do to it?"
Rest could be a description of what it's like to grow up in a family that is involved in a conflict, literally or ideologically. ("Family that follow the saint and the snake") could reference to the Nationalists that want to drive the British out of the country like St. Patrick drove the snakes. " "
The girl is sick and tired of the conflict, and it causes her to struggle internally - but no matter how she wants to escape it ("I despise such poisonous family ties") it will always affect her life because she can't deny her heritage. Maybe she ("goes back under, swallows the water, fixes her face like a good little daughter") gives up and joins the cause, because she doesn't want to disappoint her family? Or just, being a child, doesn't have any choice but tag along and witness.
The title/tagline sound like the narrator is bored of this trip, and just wants it to end so he can be at his home without the complicity - but the reason he puts up with it are the people/person close to him (I don't wanna take this trip alone) that makes him stay. Maybe a sibling or someone who shares his view of things... To me the sentiment seems to be "home is where the heart is" - without the person he begs to call him there wouldn't exist any home to reach.
OR
(Call me when we're almost halfway) could be that he wants both sides of the conflict to drop their arms, make a compromise and meet each other in the halfway, that he rather sleeps than supports a black-and-white view of things that isn't willing to do that.
Ah, I'm just shooting in the dark, I'd definitely want to hear him discuss this song. I love it.
Short: an universal song about the complicated relationship to family
Long:
(This is what I first thought when I started to listen to it, I'm deliberately ignoring some readings.)
I interpret it as a description about the Irish nationalist/unionist or protestant/catholic -trifle. But it could well apply to any family in times of crisis, internal or external.
"surrounded by city and by sea" Could be his homeplace Dún Laoghaire, but for some reason I thought of Donegal near the northern border.
"A saint is chasing a snake For everybody's sake So they go burning cars"
Reference to riots & violence, happening in the 80's and early 90's in Northern Ireland, and it sounds quite cynical a statement - like he's asking "we love our country - but what good does rioting/burning cars/wrecking the place do to it?"
Rest could be a description of what it's like to grow up in a family that is involved in a conflict, literally or ideologically. ("Family that follow the saint and the snake") could reference to the Nationalists that want to drive the British out of the country like St. Patrick drove the snakes. " "
The girl is sick and tired of the conflict, and it causes her to struggle internally - but no matter how she wants to escape it ("I despise such poisonous family ties") it will always affect her life because she can't deny her heritage. Maybe she ("goes back under, swallows the water, fixes her face like a good little daughter") gives up and joins the cause, because she doesn't want to disappoint her family? Or just, being a child, doesn't have any choice but tag along and witness.
The title/tagline sound like the narrator is bored of this trip, and just wants it to end so he can be at his home without the complicity - but the reason he puts up with it are the people/person close to him (I don't wanna take this trip alone) that makes him stay. Maybe a sibling or someone who shares his view of things... To me the sentiment seems to be "home is where the heart is" - without the person he begs to call him there wouldn't exist any home to reach. OR (Call me when we're almost halfway) could be that he wants both sides of the conflict to drop their arms, make a compromise and meet each other in the halfway, that he rather sleeps than supports a black-and-white view of things that isn't willing to do that.
Ah, I'm just shooting in the dark, I'd definitely want to hear him discuss this song. I love it.