The Post War Dream Lyrics
Is it for this that daddy died?
Was it for you? was it me?
Did I watch too much t.v.?
Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes?
If it wasn't for the nips
Being so good at building ships
The yards would still be open on the clyde
And it can't be much fun for them
Beneath the rising sun
With all their kids committing suicide
What have we done maggie what have we done
What have we done to England
Should we shout should we scream
"What happened to the post war dream?"
Oh Maggie Maggie what did we do?
Indeed this song isn't about the war at all, but - as the title says - what had become of England after his daddy died (WW2) - esp. in the years under the Maggie "Iron Lady" Thatcher regime. Hence the lyrics:
What have we done? Maggie what have we done? What have we done to England?
Should we shout should we scream "What happened to the post war dream?" Oh, Maggie, Maggie what did we do?
Namely Maggie's economic programme (or rather economic debacle) resulted in collapse of many branches of British industry and high unemployment (something Mark Knopfler also sings about in his song "Why, Aye Mate!" and others).
This verse:
If it wasn't for the Nips Being so good at building ships The yards would still be open on the Clyde
means simply that Japanese surpassed British at building ships (as in (too) many other branches as well - but this is esp. painful for the English, since UK used to be the world's #1 naval force once - and very proud of it), consequentially driving Brit's industry - that just wasn't on par with Japanese - out of business.
However Japanese are also paying a high price for their own success: they're also a world leader in the suicide rate among students - many of whom just cannot cope with their insanely fast-paced and totally goal-oriented Japanese economy.
So this:
And it can't be much fun for them Beneath the rising sun With all their kids committing suicide
has nothing to do with kamikaze at all, but the Japanese own problems today.
That's more or less it. Just one more verse left:
Was it you? Was it me? Did I watch too much TV? Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes?
I believe he's asking himself who (beside Maggie, of course) is to blame for the steady decline of the post-war UK.
Not sure who's accusing eyes he means (probably people in general, who are worse off today than some 30 years ago), but I'm pretty sure he feels guilty because his generation also didn't do their part, but rather wasted their time in vain (watching TV, partying, etc.) while the things happened.
I'd agree with pretty much everything here, though I think the initial verse is him as a child. Children tend to internalize everything and look too themselves as responsible for the bad things inn their lives such as divorce etc. I think he was thinking this to himself after his father's death and the "hint of accusation" was from his mother. The entire verse seems to be from a child's perspective.
I'd agree with pretty much everything here, though I think the initial verse is him as a child. Children tend to internalize everything and look too themselves as responsible for the bad things inn their lives such as divorce etc. I think he was thinking this to himself after his father's death and the "hint of accusation" was from his mother. The entire verse seems to be from a child's perspective.
Waters doesn't think england is where it wanted to be after WW2. Nips are Japnanese (Great Nippon)
this song brings a lump in my throat everytime..
Here goes: So if Jesus was crucified to save the human race, and Daddy died in WWII, why are we going through another war? This album is mostly made up of ideas "cut out" from the 'final cut' of The Wall, redirected to comment on the Falklands conflict rather than WWII, but still smiting war in general with more emphasis than in The Wall.
The Rising Sun is the japanese flag, and "all their kids committing suicide" is the kamikaze bombers.
There has always been a rash of suicides of Japanese youth due to the stress to succeed there is so great. Yes, there were Kamikazes in WW2 and they are still committing suicide there to this day.
There has always been a rash of suicides of Japanese youth due to the stress to succeed there is so great. Yes, there were Kamikazes in WW2 and they are still committing suicide there to this day.
eva floyd, it's actually about the kids in Japan (whose flag is the rising sun), and their practicing of kamikaze.
Would people please stop referring to the whole of Britain as England. The lyrics refer to the Clyde, and where is that? Scotland.
here again for this ukraine shit. tick tok tick tok… when your one of the few…
Brilliant, childhood question about hypocratic parents who bring there young ones up to not notice what arround them, for god's sake stop it with the protection crap. Sorry, very good song.
wow. really emotional. its the torture of war and its aftermath through the POV of an innocent person.
the last riff on the horn at the end sounds like "what heppens to me" from pigs on the wings. this might be some sort of subliminal intertwining of the two albums, or, more likely some freak coincidence.
oh yeah... for anyone like me (non-british), maggie is margaret thatcher, the former english PM, yes a woman.
Margaret Thatcher was the former British PM. Not just PM of England.
Margaret Thatcher was the former British PM. Not just PM of England.