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The Island Lyrics
The say the skies of Lebanon are burning
Those mighty cedars bleedin' in the heat
They're showin' pictures on the television
Women and children dying in the street
And we're still at it in our own place
Still trying to reach the future through the past
Still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone
But hey, don't listen to me!
This wasn't meant to be no sad song
We've heard too much of that before
Right now I only want to be with you
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'
And I wanna take you to the island,
Trace your footprints in the sand,
And in the evening, when the sun goes down,
We'll make love to the sound of the ocean
They're raisin' banners over by the markets
Whitewashin' slogans on our shipyard walls
Witchdoctors prayin' for a mighty showdown
No way our holy flag is gonna fall
Up here we sacrifice our children
To feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday
And teach them dyin' will lead us into glory
But hey, don't listen to me!
Cos this wasn't meant to be no sad song
I've sung too much of that before
Right now I only want to be with you
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'
I wanna take you to the island
Trace your footprints in the sand
And in the evening, when there's no one around,
We'll make love to the sound of the ocean
Now I know us plain folks don't see all the story
And I know this peace and love's just coppin' out
And I guess these young boys dying in the ditches
Is just what bein' free is all about
And how this twisted wreckage down on main street
Will bring us all together in the end
And we'll go marching down the road to freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Those mighty cedars bleedin' in the heat
They're showin' pictures on the television
Women and children dying in the street
Still trying to reach the future through the past
Still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone
But hey, don't listen to me!
This wasn't meant to be no sad song
We've heard too much of that before
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'
And I wanna take you to the island,
Trace your footprints in the sand,
And in the evening, when the sun goes down,
We'll make love to the sound of the ocean
Whitewashin' slogans on our shipyard walls
Witchdoctors prayin' for a mighty showdown
No way our holy flag is gonna fall
Up here we sacrifice our children
To feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday
And teach them dyin' will lead us into glory
But hey, don't listen to me!
Cos this wasn't meant to be no sad song
I've sung too much of that before
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'
I wanna take you to the island
Trace your footprints in the sand
And in the evening, when there's no one around,
We'll make love to the sound of the ocean
And I know this peace and love's just coppin' out
And I guess these young boys dying in the ditches
Is just what bein' free is all about
And how this twisted wreckage down on main street
Will bring us all together in the end
And we'll go marching down the road to freedom
Freedom
Freedom
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this song is the ultimate wishing you were here with me song. the singer (kieth SO AWESOME) is obviously refering to war, all war.and through it all, he just wants to be with his "significant other"
I think that this song is about a man in war, and he's wishing he could be with his girlfriend/wife/lover on "the island". And how he's keeping that picture in his head, he doesn't want to think of this "sad song" meaning the war.
I believe this song is about just how sad and cruel reality can be and sometimes the only thing you can do to survive is to block it all out and go somewhere even if it is just in your mind to stay sane. Also he is referring to looking to the future for our children's sake instead of thinking of the past; unfortunately all wrongs can not be redressed so you just have to let go and free yourself.
Makes me cry every time i listen to it. The first time i heard it, i saw him preform it, kind of unaware of the meaning of the song. Once i listened to it again multiple times, i understood how deep the message was, and how the ending is so sarcastic, and how he leaves the song kind of unfinished... "This twisted wreckage down main street will bring us all together in the end, and we'll go marching down the road to freedom", obviously the opposite of what the whole song is trying to say. He's also going back and forth between these thoughts of war and the thoughts of love, being with the one you love on an island, and losing your children in a war. It's a cery powerful song!