Love and War (11/11/46) Lyrics
Now that everybody's dead we can finally talk
Can vanity and happiness coexist?
All the lovers we've taken in direct view of the enemy
And continue the pleasure
The treasures of battle
It's only for the wounded, the purple-hearted
And they were only words and I never meant them
I never loved you
Even in my weakness
You were fuel for the fire - cannon fodder
When the cops arrived, he exclaimed, "I fought in World War II"
And then carried him to darkened hospital room
And said, "No modern person here remembers you
And we can't identify the enemy
And it could be you so it'll cost you"
And it only cost me my wife
And my job
Now what?
And I wanted to see but she wouldn't let me
I had to wait for the military cemetery
And when we got there this is what she said to me
"Love and war, in heaven and in hell
You get what you deserve
You'd better spend it well
All is fair in love and war and love
A civil war like this it always sells itself"
three words: "loss of innocence"
maybe you would recognize it as a birthday of someone who would be a child of the wwii vet.
few corrections--
and then carried him to a darkened hospital room AND SAID 'NO MODERN PERSON HERE REMEMBERS YOU'
"love and war, in heaven and in hell you get what you deserve you'd better SPEND it well all is fair in love and war and love a civil WAR like this it always sells itself"
this is totally my favourite song to sing to.
Does anyone know the significance of 11/11/46?
wwii ended in august, 1945
ok, so this is my new fovorite song I love the way Jenny is able to sound so different in every song In this one her voice kind of channels Gwen Stefani's I suck at history so Im not going to guess what 11/11/46 is.. as for the meaning, Im kind of siding with that loss of innocence thing...
Maybe it was the year he got drunk and taken in by the cops. Eh? He must have been so depressed after the war 'cause he lost his wife and job, that he turned into an alcoholic. Makes sense to me.
Well if any one has read "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, then you may remember a line reading:
"No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier, and who in good faith and without too much qualification assented to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war."
This is about Peyton Farquhar, a Southerner during the Civil war. He wants to blow up a bridge to prevent the Union Army from crossing and getting the advantage in battle. He gets caught, though, like the grandfather does in "Love and War". Both characters lost their wives in the stories.
When Jenny writes, "all is fair in love and war / civil war like this always sells itself", quoting her mother, I take that it is a satire in a way, exposing how people are so ignorant to think that "if it's for your country, it's justified!" Peyton thought the same way in that he is willing to risk his life and the well-being of his family to go down in history as a hero.
Well, that's what I think. I don't know. If you have something better, shoot! I'd love to hear it.
I think this song is two separate stories that end up tied together at the end.
the first verses have to do with a fight between lovers (or ex-lovers)
"I never loved you, even in my weakness, you were fuel for the fire, cannon fodder" - I think this is the narrator singing the words someone has said to her.... that's why before she said "why must you try to ruin my peace of mind?" the person replies, "they were only words and i never meant them," then the narrator goes on to sing the mean things the other person said to her. (Sorry, it makes more sense to me I'm sure).
The second part is all about Jenny's grandfather. He was in WWII and died when she was young.
"all is fair in love and war" - that's what her mom said, then Jenny herself returns back to the person she was singing to at the beginning: "-and love,-- a civil war like this, it always sells itself."
"love" to me in that line sounds like she's talking to someone, like she's calling someone "love," then saying, "a civil war like this (between us) it always sells itself."
@ Rilo_Kiley77:
I've read the story (it was awesome) and I see the parallel that you've drawn here. I could ramble on and on about the story, but I'll restrain myself. I don't really have anything else to say...you analyzed it all already!