I've always thought this song was about a soldier, and how mindless some of they can be.
"He can leap a dotted line in just a single bound"
Makes me think of soldiers that are sent into countries to cross the 'dotted line' (border) at a whim. Just do your job and you'll be conforming to people's expectations of soldiers.
"He's your best friend and your foe"
He can either be on your side or against you - if the government is against you.
And the rest of the song is describing someone who is mindless and has no original opinions, just does what the government tells him to. Coupled with the fact that "automatic" is used, perhaps signifying automatic weapons, along with "bang bang, he's dead" I've always took this on a literal level to be about a soldier, which the public proclaim to be a hero.
I don't know, but it always sounded like that to me.
Kelsperon April 27, 2012 Link
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