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Army Bound Lyrics

Some modest dreams, they just don’t pay out
Some modest means don’t leave much way out
In every cradle there’s a grave now
In every owner there’s a slave now
Heard somewhere that there is a place now
Someone who’ll catch you on your way down
But in every captain there’s a kid now
In every chaplain there’s an id now
So make sure you keep your bunk beds made
One day you’ll see your bunker walls degrade
And in every garden there’s a snake now
In every pardon there’s mistake now
When you fall on the ground, not a sound: army bound
When you’re all no-account, no amount: army bound
When your vests (or your gowns), hand-me downs: army bound
When what’s next looks unsound, shaky ground: army bound
Workin’ hard for a round to the crown: army bound
While you march from your town to renown: army bound
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Submitted by
pinkeyswear On Mar 21, 2007
2 Meanings

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Cover art for Army Bound lyrics by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I like the lyrics of "army bound" a lot. the word play is really creative, especially in lines like: "In every cradle there’s a grave now In every owner there’s a slave now"

Cover art for Army Bound lyrics by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I think the song is about how people turn to the army for economic reasons without thinking of the other consequences. Often army recruiters target the poor, especially minorities, and portray the army as a way to get a good, (relatively) high-paying job. It's always there as a"way out" for people who find themselves in a bad financial situation ("Heard somewhere that there is a place now \ Someone who’ll catch you on your way down", also the entire outro verse). But, I think Ted is trying to make the point that by joining the army, you are signing up to possibly lose your life or your morals ("One day you’ll see your bunker walls degrade"). All of the lines that are "In every x there's a y now" kinda play on this point: for everything that the army gives you, it takes (or could take) something else away.

 
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