| Don Henley – The End of the Innocence Lyrics | 3 months ago |
| Some of you have suggested that the words "they're beating plowshares into swords" is a reference to the plight of farmers who had lost their lands; but that is incorrect. Henley is actually drawing from the Bible to make a specific point about the state of the world, and he does this by inverting several words from a specific verse. In Isaiah 4:2, the prophet Isaiah looks into a future era of world peace: "He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Henley converts the Biblical "they shall beat their swords into plowshares" into "they're beating plowshares into swords." In other words, the prophesied notion of world peace is being disregarded by the powers that be; instead of peace, world leaders are metaphorically converting plowshares (which represent working for the common good, i.e. tilling the land we all love, and all that is associated with wholesome agricultural work) into swords. In essence, Henley is declaring that they (the powers that be, which obviously includes Ronald Reagan in the late 80s) are not seeking world peace at all, but are promoting war instead. | |
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