I Fought in a War

I think the war in this is largely metaphorical. The war, to me, is the past relationship with the girl in the song. For example, most people have found at some point that they drift from their friends a little, or in some cases completely while in a relationship ('and I left my friends behind me'), and the 'sickness ahead of me' and other verses refer to the troubled and ultimately failing relationship.

The chorus jumps to the present, where the relationship has fallen apart. He imagines that his former lover still has feelings for him, although he knows really that she has found someone new. However, he is happy for now with his delusion - until he finds someone new himself, he can dream that she still wants him, which keeps him a little bit happy.

The place that he will 'be here quite a while' could refer to the hung up feelings that are stopping him moving on. So while he is still hung up and not moving on, he can imagine she still feels for him. This is harmless to her, but creates a vicious cycle for him - as long as he thinks of her as waiting for him, he won't get over her. Therefore he will be 'here quite a while'.

I have two vague interpretations: firstly that its about illness, i.e Stuart's CFS/ME, and how illness can isolate someone from their friends/family who move on without them.

"as if you're waiting for this letter to arrive/because I'll be here quite a while" and "beyond the bedsit infamy.." is the realisation that this is a lifelong illness and he will never 'catch up' with healthy friends who have moved on. He feels inferior to the "steady boy/man" due to his illness that makes him unstable.

The other (though I have very little to back this up) is about the experience of being politically radicalised and therefore leaving behind friends who haven't adopted that ideology and becoming isolated. "Looking for the enemy" a.k.a. having this new worldview that makes them see old friends as enemies. The "war" is more of an ideological war.

ok why has no one written on this song......geeeeeeeeez it so sad and beautiful, b & s is awesome...the put so much emotion into their songs. geez. geez. awesome song, so sad ^_^

This song is just sad. I love it though.

"A. i wrote [I Fought in a War] around the summer or 1999. it's mostly from personal experience, with a little tip of the hat to the story "To Esme With Love And Squalor" by Salinger. I don't mind the way you hear it. I spent my whole life taking other people's words to mean exactly what I want them to mean, and I don't mean to be flippant! it's the inherent power in any piece of artistic expression that it may kick off in someone else, feelings completely unimagined by the creator. "

This song was used in the end credits for an amazing documentary called "Why We Fight". It went well with the theme.

Beautiful, one of my favourite of B&S.

Thanks Southbound & MrMarouka; nice to see someone saying something about a song for once.

It's about World War I. A boy is sent off to fight in the trenches, to become a 'man'. Bullets are constantly whizzing about and dead are bodies falling backwards into the trenches as they charge over the top. To keep himself sane/occupied he thinks about a girl he once knew before the war (possibly his sweetheart) and the letters she sends him - she is doing her part for the war too (making ammunition).

The line 'Keep your head down pal' refers to the the fact that if any part of your body appeared above the trench, you were likely to lose it and the 'sickness' is possibly shell shock.

Some good lyrics. Good song.

I love B&S, but does anyone know what "bedsit" means here? Thanks...