Joy Division

The Drawback

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The Drawback Lyrics

Seen the troubles and the evils of this world
I've seen the stretches between godliness and sin
I've had the promise and confessions of true faith
And the hypocrisy that always lies within
And they left it for you - all of this for you
And they left it for you - all of this for you

I've seen the products and the other world of waste
I've seen the colour of corruption deep within
I've seen them lose themselves in dignity and taste
To see in black and white and through to black again
And they left it for you - all of this for you
And they left it for you - all of this for you

And they left it for you - all of this for you
And they left it for you - everything for you
I've seen the troubles and the evils of this world
I've seen the ones who can succeed but always lose
I've seen what's left of poor technology and work
And watched them dying as they leave their ship of fools
And they left it for you - all of this for you
And they left it for you - all of this for you

Submitted by

brutin On May 24, 2004

Love Will Tear Us Apart

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Brutin

Submitter

2004-05-24 22:23:50

1 Meaning

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by berlin1945

19y ago

This and Atmosphere have to be my two favourite Joy Division songs.

The main attack of this song seems to be against mass religion. 'promise of cofessions and true faith' He can already see the difference between godliness and sin without the church, and all their promises really offer is of hypocrisy. But aswell as religion, it also seems to take the usual Joy Division pot shots at the technological industrial age and such. 'the products and the other world of waste'

Perhaps with the last verse line 'watched them dying as they leave their ship of fools', he's trying to tie them together. That people live within this technological, industrial and seemingly aimless world, which corrupt religion can't give a direction to, it's a 'ship of fools.' Perhaps you could read something into them dying as leave it, rather than leave it as they're dying? Do they need it to live?

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