So later that year the bodies came home
To Dover wrapped in flags and lined up in rows
With no one to see and no one to know
They had to keep morale from getting low
And the voice inside my head just repeated
This is not the way we were told that it was going to be
This is not the way we were told that it was going to be

And we know who'd to blame
And we know who'd to blame
And we know who'd to blame
Did the math it wasn't worth it after all
And we know who's to blame
We did the math it wasn't worth it after all
And we know who's to blame


Lyrics submitted by SomthinCorporat

Later That Year Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Later That Year song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

13 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Obviously a political song. It's a stab at President Bush. Talks about how the army always glorifies the war and how nice they treat you. The, once you get to Iraq...you want to go hom. We know who to blame, Mr. Bush.

    Rock On, M

    Mister Mon September 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Sigh, John, I am disappointed you would do a political song. I am a God-fearin, Bush lovin, repub, and yet this may be my favorite track on the EP. Especially since they screwed up costello.

    chago04on September 16, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    You do realize the costello you heard from the s/t leak was a demo, not a final version..right?

    cato11087on September 17, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is an amazing song. Who cares if it's political, it's relatable, seeing as how half the world hates George W. Bush.

    BuildingMusicon September 24, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't understand how anyone could support Bush? Are you even aware of half the behind-the-scenes, criminal shit he does?

    cowboyupinblueon October 19, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think its pretty obvious that this song is about the war in Iraq and what the government has done to try to cover up the realities of that war. it specifically refferences the bush administration's policy of not allowing photographs of the caskets of the dead soldiers to be taken or released to the press or even the families. Although they said it was to protect the families, it doesnt take half a brain to know that if they showed the dead, support for the war would disapear quick. And then the song goes on to talk about how the american people were lied to "this is not the way we were told it was going to be" and the reality of what our president has gotten us into and that maybe when its said and done, the reality of what we're involved with isnt worth the price of life we're paying.

    JustAStupidKidon November 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    rock on john!!fuck bush!!!!!!!!

    dirt_dusted_angelon March 02, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Not justastupidkid then, I think you've got it spot on. When I first listened to the album, it didn't stand out and then I listened proerly and realised that it's actually a really political song, but it's almost hidden in the melodies and vocals. I think it's good for them to do a political song, it adds to their range.

    quarter_past_threeon March 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I actually think this song is about the vietnam war and has nothing to do with Bush. (and just so you know, hating Bush does not make you cool. Oh, and cowboyupinblue, name one "criminal shit" thing that Bush has done behind the scenes...) The 'nam war is famous for being the war that the Americans thought they were going to win but didn't. They were told it was an easy victory and when soldiers kept coming home dead, morale was getting low. There were also a tonne of riots and protests during the war because the people were upset that the war wasn't going the way it was supposed to. Not everythings about Iraq and hating Bush these days.

    ta_selleson October 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    you mean this song isn't about Taking Back Sunday and how the breakup is all Adam Lazzara's fault?

    (sarcasm)

    the US went to war to retaliate the 9/11 attacks (or so we thought), while our casualties were being sent back to Dover Air Force Base in mass numbers and the public was to be kept in the dark because the white house felt focusing on the American dead and wounded would create a negative state of national mourning and turn voters against Bush and the Iraq mission. this is all fact. the photos of the war casualties were not released for public viewing until about a year later, hence the title of the song.

    we were lead into the war under false pretenses. every 6 months "the mission" turns into something else. we went in for bin laden and weapons of mass destruction, yet here we are 5 years later with no weapons of mass destruction and bid laden still at large.

    fareakyon December 05, 2006   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Step
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Album art
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.