White China

wicked song, if this had been made a single after DWTIME it would surely have topped the charts. Shame it lost out to all the other boring ballads on Lament.

The song is about addiction. China White is/was a very popular type of heroin.

Given the explicit reference to China iy seems quite clear to me that the song is about Hong Kong and it's eventual transfer to Chinese control.

Prophesy in the making in the year 1984. The foresight could not have been anything but supernaturally conferred. The Chinese version of communism is imposed upon American the Beautiful with a hint of fascism and whole lot of socialism. Perhaps a corporate oligarchy in which entire corporations represent the individual members of absolute power. "When pale turns to pink with a soft unnerving ease" Refers to one of the colors of the American Flag, specifically the white stripes. As the white stripes turn to the communist red initially the once crisp white transforms to a pale light color that quickly transforms to pink on its way to a crimson red. The white representing purity and innocence transforms into the color of the spilled blood of freedom. "With a soft unnerving ease" describes the slow deterioration of our constitution that is astonishingly accepted by the fooled Americans under the guise of protection from terrorism. "We stand or fall" directed to those who realize this slow metamorphosis and faced with the Aarron Snowden/Paul Revere decision to remain silent or sound the alarm. "With your future in another's hands" referring to the policies that dictate your place in society based on your inborn gifts determined by the very granulated surveillance of every individual through their cell phone. "When your life is not your own" pointing out the custom "feed" that "informs" each person to societies issues and cultural happenings creating islands of misinformation that conglomerate into a nation of propaganda. Your life dictated by the specialized reality you are fed. "When white turns to red" signals the transformation has already happened and its simply too late. "Will force and misery be the life you have to lead" reflects there is no such concept of choice or free will. "When crimson takes a hold" the flag is now flying over a hybrid of communism, socialism and a corporate oligarchy. The innocence transformed long ago. In 1984 there was very little indication this could ever happen to The United States of America yet the vision plays out today. Lament indeed.