| State Radio – Revolutionaries Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Hahah, well obviously it's about Guantanamo Bay! But I'm pretty sure (helpfully based on the comment on this site for "Guantanamo" that the lines about Geronimo and "all hail the line of the crooked white kings whose fathers stole the bones from an Indian grave" are alluding to the, basically, extermination of Indians as the U.S. expanded westward. | |
| State Radio – Rash of Robberies Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| The music video helps to understand the general meaning of the song quite well (if not the individual references): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh_yYHW24uk | |
| State Radio – Revolutionaries Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I'm not sure of the overall meaning of the song but... "manifest destiny" is a term that refers to the belief in the ~1830s/40s United States that westward expansion was inevitable. Its meaning was broadened and people came to think of the westward expansion as almost divinely ordained and justifying almost any action by the American settlers. Now, this connects to the "don't underestimate the fate of preordained malice" line, because many Americans naturally felt Native Americans were inferior, and made them flee or killed them etc. when they moved west. Also, State Radio songs have some other references to Native American Indian injustice ("Guantanamo" and "Fight No More" in particular), so I get the feeling this could have something to do with that. The only thing is, the "the knowledge / That rests in me to fear my own race" contradicts that because it's the narrator's "own race." Hmm... any thoughts? |
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| State Radio – Heady Riser Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Yea, James, it sounds SO similar to the poem by Martin Niemoller titled "First they came..." "In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade uniunists, and I didn't speak up becaue I wasn't a trade uniunist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me -- and by that time no one was left to speak up." |
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| Dispatch – The General Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I only read some of the first page of comments (about Jesus, anti-war or not, ect.), so I don't know what's been said since then, but I figured I'd weigh in anyway. First of all, there is no doubt that this song is anti-war. As the guy above said, Chad is *very* anti-war. Secondly, I saw people saying that the General went to fight by himself. Personally, I think that after his "awakening" and realization of the evils of war, he does not fight at all. He simply goes into battle (maybe unarmed, even) and dies without a fight. Third, and last, there is a possible connection to Jesus, but as people said, that is very broad. But, if there *is* a Jesus connotation, I think it is of his (A) message of peace and (B) his sacrifice for the good (peacefulness) of mankind. I certainly don't think that Chad and Dispatch were preaching Christianity in the song (that's a rather 'duh' statement, but eh), just saying the messages that are good for everybody, no matter what religion. |
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