Yuko and Hiro

It could be an analogy about Damon Albarn's relationship with Justine, which was in full force when the song was recorded.

More directly I think it's a commentary on the Japanese salaryman (sarariman) culture: you graduate, you take a job, that job becomes your life: your boss is your father, your coworkers are your siblings, and you are expected to stay in that one job for life. It's changing over there now, but for a long time, if you were to quit one job to go to another like people do in the US or Europe, it was essentially suicide... the chances of you getting another, comparable job later were pretty much done for.

Yuko is a Japanese girl's name, and Hiro is a Japanese boy's name. It's about a couple who met at work, and are now in a relationship together. They can't be a couple at work since it's work, and their hours are so long that they're only together weekends and then Sunday. They drink to keep themselves in check and be able to sleep (I'm familiar with this, haha) and so in effect, they never really get to spend time together.

They work hard and sacrifice what they'd love to be able to do together in the hopes that their future is stable.

I figured it was about the end of a relationship... The devotion that one or both sides has to their job has forced them to break up because they see so little of each other. Though the idealist in me sees the "I'll love you forever" as a promise that they won't forget on another, and perhaps will try again in the future.

It's a really sad song, when you think about it...

The Japanese is just a rough translation of the english.

We are working at our workplace They will always protect us We work together for the future

:::JAPANESE::: Wareware Wa Kaisha de Hataraiteiru Itsumo Karera ga Mamotte Kureru Issho ni Hataraku Mirai no Tameni...

I think this is about people working too much and not being enough with their family and friends...

It is songs like this that make me wonder why Blur isn't held in a higher regard.

I recently read a really nice interpretation about this song, so it isn't mine but it made sense to me, whether it was intended by Blur or not.

This song closes The Great Escape, and is an end to a definite period in the band's career. The song describes a trade-off between making money, and sustaining meaningful relationships.

It is clear from their following album the path they wished to follow.

Check out Ben Folds Five- Hiro's Song

connections..

I don't know who these guys are--"yuko" and "Hiro". Neither do I understand the japanese in the song.Can anyone tell me?

In 2004 my school did a performance about the book Brave New World. In a way it kind of reminds me of that. It just seems like the company is sort of brainwashing them because they are always like "They will protect us, we work for the future" It also reminds me of Blade Runner, with the replicants being made for human help...I dunno thats just what it reminds me of. Its a totally beautiful song though