For me this song is clearly about ignorance, which is just another word for indiscretion. So many people just accept the socio-cultural background they are born into without reflecting on it much further. They are born into a specific system and actually believe that they have to keep up all the values of this system. Think about those people who adopt racial prejudices/patriotism or whatever from their parents ("born into race and nation accept family and obligation"). Some even take over their jobs, which reminds me of this practice being actually connected to the medieval ages, when it still was a necessity ("accept tradition and occupation"). As to the "uniform", "waiting for the call", this reminds of the many people who are third or fourth generation soldiers just because they think they have to continue the "tradition" of their fathers. I don't mean to say anything against that, but maybe some more thinking for oneself would result in a different lifestyle.
PS: I think the second singer is Guy.
Sodium Pentathol is used as a general anesthetic, an interrogation agent (to weaken resolve), to induce coma, for euthanasia, and for lethal-injection executions. This song on the surface seems to describe someone who fights out of sense of obligation, but is captured and either interrogated or executed. This is undoubtedly a metaphor but for what probably depends on the listener's worldview.
Basically the song is about being born into certain roles that society has cast for us.
The first part of the song is about not having that much of a say in the roles you play in society.
Then later the lyrics describe a soldier laying a field waiting for permission to kill the target. Which is why the song is called "the kill".
Then the last part of the song is a parallel situation featuring the same soldier. In this situation, the soldier is being held somewhere and is waiting to be executed.
I'm too lazy to expound past this, but basically put all three of these points together and you have your meaning.
This song seems to be about war. It sounds like someone is being forced to fight for war, when he doesn't even beleive in it.
this song just gives me a low. even tho i'm really into fugazi....realizations take me over....
born into race and nation accept family and obligation i'm not a citizen i'm not a citizen embrace tradition and occupation cull memory for assimilation secure for future generations secure for future generations
Those lines make me think it's about perhaps the culture of immigrants being destroyed as they start to get used to the culture of the country they move to, such as America.
On a side note, I love the whistling.
I think it's about the death penalty. Uniform referring to a prison uniform, "laying down in chambers waiting for the call. seen your kind so many times you got no chance at all laid out immobile hoping for that call it's in my mouth, under my skin sodium pentathol" the call being a stay of execution. Also at the end, with the whistling, you can hear breathing, slow down and then stop, like the life.
There are two singers in this song. One is clearly Ian. Is the other Joe?
Other singer is definitely Ian, not Guy. To me, he's (Ian) the sad voice of the truth where the rest of the singing by Joe is representative of a numb person who bought into or was brainwashed into the lie/dream. The song to me is basically an anti-war song.
I think it's about capital punishment...sounds like it's a person lying on the table just about to get a lethal injection - sodium pentathol is used for lethal injection. born into race and nation - could be that he was born in a bad neighborhood, cull memory for assimilation - reference to the anesthetic. Secure future generations - this could have a double meaning - secure as in "safe" taking the crime off the streets, which is the argument for capital punishment and it could also mean secure as in "ensure" that nothing really changes in future - the cycle of being born into a life of crime. I'm not a citizen - could refer to the fact that you are stripped of all your rights when you are given the death pentalty. Also, song's called "the kill" so it has to be about some sort killing.