The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
If you smile at me
I will understand
'Cause that is something
Everybody everywhere does in the same language
I can see by your coat, my friend
You're from the other side
There's just one thing I've got to know
Can you tell me please, who won
Say, can I have some of your purple berries
Yes, I've been eating them for six or seven weeks now
Haven't got sick once
Prob'ly keep us both alive
Wooden ships on the water, very free, and easy
Easy, you know the way it's supposed to be
Silver people on the shoreline let us be
Talk'n 'bout very free, and easy
Horror grips us as we watch you die
All we can do is echo your anguished cries
Stare as all human feelings die
We are leaving, you don't need us
Go take a sister, then, by the hand
Lead her away from this foreign land
Far away, where we might laugh again
We are leaving, you don't need us
And it's a fair wind
Blowin' warm out of the south over my shoulder
Guess I'll set a course and go
I will understand
'Cause that is something
Everybody everywhere does in the same language
I can see by your coat, my friend
You're from the other side
There's just one thing I've got to know
Can you tell me please, who won
Say, can I have some of your purple berries
Yes, I've been eating them for six or seven weeks now
Haven't got sick once
Prob'ly keep us both alive
Wooden ships on the water, very free, and easy
Easy, you know the way it's supposed to be
Silver people on the shoreline let us be
Talk'n 'bout very free, and easy
Horror grips us as we watch you die
All we can do is echo your anguished cries
Stare as all human feelings die
We are leaving, you don't need us
Go take a sister, then, by the hand
Lead her away from this foreign land
Far away, where we might laugh again
We are leaving, you don't need us
And it's a fair wind
Blowin' warm out of the south over my shoulder
Guess I'll set a course and go
Lyrics submitted by Hilde
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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I mostly agree with the nuclear war suggestions. To me, the second verse is the most significant:
I can see by your coat, my friend, You're from the other side Just one thing I've got to know Can you tell me please, who won?
This verse lets you know the state of the world. Two people from opposing sides of a global nuclear war meet up, but the war was so vast and its destruction so complete and utter, that even the survivors can't tell who won the war, because not enough people are left alive to claim victory, and no civilization left to celebrate the end of the war.
Most (or maybe all?) of the survivors live on wooden ships because the land is too irradiated. I think the "silver people on the shoreline" is an allegory for what nuclear war theorists refer to as the walking dead. They've gotten a lethal dose of radiation poisoning, but they haven't died from it yet. The people from the ships can only watch in horror as the "silver people" keel over and die, knowing that they represent most of humanity, and that the same thing is happening all over the world. Only the people who were on wooden ships have survived.
The survivors struggle to find food that is safe to eat (the purple berries). Eventually, the survivors on the ships realize there's nothing they can do for what's left of civilization, so they set out to find a safe place to life, maybe an island somewhere. "Guess I'll set a course and go..." He still feels the pull of the mainland where he is from, but he knows there's nothing left for him there anymore. He's sad about it, but he knows he has to leave.
@MetalHeadSJ This interpretation is spot on and much more eloquent than what I wrote. I agree completely with this premise. I wonder if you have read the book The Last Ship by William Brinkley.