This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Don't start that talking
I could talk all night
My mind was sleepwalking
While I'm putting the world to right
Call careers information
Have you got yourself an occupation?
Oliver's army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
There was a Checkpoint Charlie
He didn't crack a smile
But it's no laughing party
When you've been on the murder mile
Only takes one itchy trigger
One more widow, one less white nigger
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
Hong Kong is up for grabs
London is full of Arabs
We could be in Palestine
Overrun by the Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne
But there's no danger
It's a professional career
Though it could be arranged
With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear
If you're out of luck or out of work
We could send you to Johannesburg
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh
I could talk all night
My mind was sleepwalking
While I'm putting the world to right
Call careers information
Have you got yourself an occupation?
Oliver's army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
There was a Checkpoint Charlie
He didn't crack a smile
But it's no laughing party
When you've been on the murder mile
Only takes one itchy trigger
One more widow, one less white nigger
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
Hong Kong is up for grabs
London is full of Arabs
We could be in Palestine
Overrun by the Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne
But there's no danger
It's a professional career
Though it could be arranged
With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear
If you're out of luck or out of work
We could send you to Johannesburg
Oliver's Army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh
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This song simply put is about Britishpresence around the world, mostly militant. It starts in a British citizen wanting to do good and needing to find a job. "Have you got yourself an occupation" is the British government when they were trying to build up their military force and suggesting young men to go into that field. The chorus, "Olivers Army" is a reference to Oliver Cromwell, but its not specifically talking about the things he did as a person. "And I would rather be anywhere else but here today" signify's the citizen's and Costello's opinion against this militant takeover of the world. In the next verse, they make reference to a place called Checkpoint Charlie on the british wall where there was a lot of military, not british, but military presence. The murder mile can reference to a place in Ireland, OR in upper hackney in London, both fit. "Only takes one itchy trigger" obvious is talking about guns and shootings. "One more widow, one less white nigger", this is talking about their apathetic view towards the military killing, and also using such a strong word, they make reference to unacceptance of different religions and races. In the next verse, basically its talking about different types of groups of people and places. "Hong Kong is up for grabs" is reference to Hong Kong when it was under British rule. Then its talking about other places it could conquer next, such as palestine. Then, "With the boys from the mersey and the thames and the tyne" is just talking about how they could go about conquering places from 3 different major rivers in europe. Then we go back to Britain trying to convince the youth that its a good idea to join the military with "theres no danger, its a professional career." They want to make boys feel grown up. Churchill is the Prime Minister, so of course he is mentioned. Finally, "if you're out of luck, you're out of work we could send you to Johannesburg." is meaning Johannesburg, South Africa, in which the British tried to solidify by sending more and more of their people there, and eventually getting into a war with the people. Theres the long explination.
Very good.
It's nothing to with the 17th century Lord Protector of England. Oliver's Army refers to persons exempted from conscription by the schedule of Reserved Occupations 1938, who were named after Oliver Lytteton, wartime President of the Board of Trade as "Oliver's Army". The rest of the song refers to conscription post-1945 when such occupations were no longer exempt. The public unjustly regarded people so classified with suspicion, as they were physically present during 1939-1945.
@opivy7898 Not sure really what to make of your post, but I quote : "Checkpoint Charlie on the british wall " - Perhaps that was a mistake, but there is no such thing as the British Wall. Honestly if you are going to post something as a statement of fact rather than "In my humble opinion" then you should get your facts right.