3 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Protocol Lyrics
Who are these ones who would lead us now
To the sound of a thousand guns
Who'd storm the gates of hell itself
To the tune of a single drum?
Where are the girls of the neighborhood bars
Whose loves were lost at sea
In the hills of France and on German soil
From Saigon to Wounded Knee?
Who come from long lines of soldiers
Whose duty was fulfilled
In the words of a warrior's will
And protocol
Where are the boys in their coats of blue
Who flew when their eyes were blind?
Was God in town for the Roman games
Was he there when the deals were signed?
Who are the kings in their coats of mail
Who road by the cross to die?
Did they all go down into worthiness?
Is it wrong for a king to cry?
And who are these ones who would have us now
Whose presence in concealed
Whose nature is revealed
In a time bomb?
Last of all you old sea dogs
Who travel after whale
You'd storm the gates of hell itself
For the taste of a mermaid's tail
Who come from long lines of skippers
Whose duty was fulfilled
In the words of a warrior's will
And protocol
To the sound of a thousand guns
Who'd storm the gates of hell itself
To the tune of a single drum?
Whose loves were lost at sea
In the hills of France and on German soil
From Saigon to Wounded Knee?
Whose duty was fulfilled
In the words of a warrior's will
And protocol
Who flew when their eyes were blind?
Was God in town for the Roman games
Was he there when the deals were signed?
Who road by the cross to die?
Did they all go down into worthiness?
Is it wrong for a king to cry?
And who are these ones who would have us now
Whose presence in concealed
Whose nature is revealed
In a time bomb?
Who travel after whale
You'd storm the gates of hell itself
For the taste of a mermaid's tail
Who come from long lines of skippers
Whose duty was fulfilled
In the words of a warrior's will
And protocol
Song Info
Submitted by
butneveroutgunned On May 27, 2006
More Gordon Lightfoot
If You Could Read My Mind
Sundown
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Carefree Highway
Summer Side Of Life
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Such a great sont...thank you for submitting it.
Seems a very pointed challenge at causes people applied themselves to and asks "what's the point?" I wonder if Gord knew about Milgram's experiments on obedience at the time.
@Angus Interesting article about Milgram's experiments
@Angus Interesting article about Milgram's experiments
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-milgram-obedience-experiment-2795243
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-milgram-obedience-experiment-2795243
Being a disabled Veteran, this song sounds a resonance within me.
Being a disabled Veteran, this song sounds a resonance within me.
Being a disabled Veteran, I -know- what it means to give your all... and have a government politician make light of it.... "Protocol" yeah, it leaves a very sour taste in my mouth each time I think about it.
The lyric "Was God in town for the Roman games? Was he there when the deals were signed?" I think alludes to the controversy of the 1960 Olympics held in Rome. Specifically, the island nation of Taiwan wanted to compete under the name "Republic of China", but because the CCP were -also- competing for the first time in decades, the IOC made Taiwan use the name "Formosa, China" instead. So the Taiwanese athletes, to a man, struck any country reference on their uniform/clothing and the lead athlete carried a sign saying "Under Protest". For the geo-political atmosphere at that time, that took HUGE balls. The Olympics were a pseudo-arena for the Cold War... Capitalist vs. Communist, USA vs. USSR (and CCP). So, who made the ultimate decision to force Taiwan accede to the CCP demands, and yet Taiwan took the 3rd option of no country name at all? Was the IOC under the threat of the CCP retaliating? It was obvious to GL that God was NOT in town for the Roman games and was NOT there when the "deals" were signed. Lastly, "Who are these ones who would have us now..." I think alludes to something or a group of people whose influence on the geo-political scale were just coming to full light. Conspiracy theory or something real? Does it go way beyond what we can imagine? I can also think of a speech made by JFK the American Newspaper Publisher's Association, April 27, 1961 that possibly hints at the same thing. https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/american-newspaper-publishers-association-19610427