Ice Age

This song was written during the Cold War, remember. There was massive fear of a nuclear war breaking out at any time, and I think that's what this is about.

"Stockpiled safety for a few While we stand holding hands"

• Nuclear weapons stockpiles were the superpowers' "protection" from each other, but if used, there would be many innocent casualties.

"Searching for another way See them hide behind the door We'll live in holes and disused shafts Hopes for little more"

• The idea of living in a post-apocalyptic world -- while the people who "pushed the button" could hide in nuclear bunkers, civilians "live in holes and disused shafts."

"Ice age" = nuclear winter

"It's not an eclipse"

• The most striking line for me. Very clever lyric -- we're told it's not an eclipse, but are not explicitly told what it -is-.

The way I see it, when he's singing he's living in the "Ice Age" it's like a metaphor: people are cold, only care about themselves. Basically he lost any hope he had for a warm, and compassionate world. At least, that's my interpretation. So yeh.

Kind of reminds me of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road". Eep.

I always thought of this song as describing a 'cold society', but I must say the Nuclear Winter interpretation makes a lot of sense. too. Thanks for the fresh angle. :-)

"Nothing will hold. Nothing will fit Into the cold. No smile on your lips" always sounded to me more like a complaint how alien Ian felt in his time.

IMO ian relating the cold war era to how he felt in life (freezing in an emotional cold). a great metaphor, curtis is one of the best lyricists to ever live

Holding on to old ways. Not living in the "now".

The Ice Age is when sheets of Ice covered a big part of the globe. In this song it is a metaphor for emotions freezing over. The two people stand holding hands but they do not smile or feel anything. There seems to be alot of atrocities between them and in the world and they do not wish to discuss them to make things better and to thaw out the ice that numbs them. "I'v seen the real atrocities buried in the sand."

I see it more like a political song. Everyone is living with cold fake emotions turning their faces from their angst, realworld problems and past sins. Thus we are living in the ice age.

knowing his history with his ex wife, its likely about the same things as love will tear us apart again,(something they love but is falling)

if on the off chance its not about that, it could be about nuclear weapons, this was released in the height of the anti weapons movement

the real atrocities Buried in the sand Stockpiled safety for a few

Searching for another way See them hide behind the door We'll live in holes and disused shafts Hopes for little more

the ice age could be reffering to the idea of nuclear winter as consequence

knowing his history with his ex wife, its likely about the same things as love will tear us apart again,(something they love but is falling)

if on the off chance its not about that, it could be about nuclear weapons, this was released in the height of the anti weapons movement

the real atrocities Buried in the sand Stockpiled safety for a few

Searching for another way See them hide behind the door We'll live in holes and disused shafts Hopes for little more

the ice age could be reffering to the idea of nuclear winter as consequence