Lyric discussion by cman 

Cover art for Stove By A Whale lyrics by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

The line "The distance keeps us safe/from waves/of subcutaneous problems" is important. Something that's subcuntaneous is underneath the skin. He might be saying (sarcastically) that geographical distance keeps us "safe" from that people that are different from us, or that dislike us becauseof something like our "governments/accents or parents." Then in the final chorus

And I'm not talkin' to the people who've been in jail And I'm not talkin' 'bout just wanting to belong somewhere And let's not talk about the colour of your eyes or your hair. I'm talkin' 'bout talkin' 'bout the colour of the sea from way up there

He's saying we shouldn't try to be something or try to fit in somehow. We should just all able to appreciate the beauty of life and that we all are alive. It's also interesting to think how this song relates to the title of the album "Tyranny of Distance."