Before a concert, Tom explained what this song means...you guys are all off ;)
It's about a soldier going to war. In fact, a lot of the album is about disillusionment with the ways of the world and all the current events (war, etc.) But I love how the lyrics are vague so most people end up spinning it to be about failed relationships and other sad themes....let's break it down and it'll all make sense.
Why do I have to fly? (GOING TO WAR)
Over every town up and down the line?
I'll die in the clouds above
And you that I defend, I had do not love (NOT NECESSARILY CARING ABOUT THOSE YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR, MOST ARE STRANGERS ANYWAY)
I wake up, it's a bad dream
No one on my side (IT'S WAR)
I was fighting
But I just feel too tired
To be fighting
Guess I'm not the fighting kind
Where will I meet my fate? (FEAR DEATH)
Baby I'm a man, I was born to hate
And when will I meet my end?
In a better time you could be my friend (ABOUT THE ENEMY, HE DOESN'T REALLY "HATE" HIM BUT IT'S WAR SO YOU HAVE TO KILL; IN ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE THE ENEMY COULD HAVE BEEN SOME PERSON YOU BEFRIENDED)
Where do we go? (POINTLESSNESS OF WAR)
I don't even know
My strange old face (FIGHTING AND TIME HAS AGED THIS SOLDIER)
And I'm thinking about those days (BEFORE HE HAD TO FIGHT, BEFORE HE WENT TO WAR, FRIENDS, FAMILIES, ETC)
And I'm thinking about those days
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I could go on and on but this should elucidate a lot of things. You guys are correct in bits and parts but your context is incorrect; it is a soldier going to war. Straight from the source.
UKingdomon June 20, 2006 Link
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