using the demo of this song as a basis, i think the main idea of this song is that there are a few people in power who are basically running the show. he refers to them as "air conditioned rooms at the top of the stairs". In the first verse they send people off two war.
in the demo, the verse:
"there's bourbon on the breath
of the singer you love so much
he takes all his words from
the books you don't read anyway"
is followed by:
"for the air conditioned rooms at the stairs at he head of the table with a face that never smiles."
so the corrupt singer is doing it all for the person in power who sent everyone overseas.
then here:
"it makes no difference to me
how they cried all over overseas
when it's hot in the poor places tonight
I'm not going outside"
i think he's saying that he's not too worried about the effects of the people in charge (the suffering overseas). he's more worried about the fact that it's hot in the poor places while the people in charge are in air conditioning.
in other words, he's mostly worried about the big problem, the separation between rich and poor and how the rich don't care.
finally, i think he says "i'm not, going outside" to give an example of what rich and middle class americans are thinking. sure, they're concerned with the poor people, but they're not going to sacrifice what they have and go outside in the heat (lower their standard of living).
i don't know what the verses mean where he says "i really want to see you tonight". they weren't in the demo and don't seem to fit with the theme, but it might have changed or i might just be plain wrong.
using the demo of this song as a basis, i think the main idea of this song is that there are a few people in power who are basically running the show. he refers to them as "air conditioned rooms at the top of the stairs". In the first verse they send people off two war.
in the demo, the verse:
"there's bourbon on the breath of the singer you love so much he takes all his words from the books you don't read anyway"
is followed by:
"for the air conditioned rooms at the stairs at he head of the table with a face that never smiles."
so the corrupt singer is doing it all for the person in power who sent everyone overseas.
then here:
"it makes no difference to me how they cried all over overseas when it's hot in the poor places tonight I'm not going outside"
i think he's saying that he's not too worried about the effects of the people in charge (the suffering overseas). he's more worried about the fact that it's hot in the poor places while the people in charge are in air conditioning.
in other words, he's mostly worried about the big problem, the separation between rich and poor and how the rich don't care.
finally, i think he says "i'm not, going outside" to give an example of what rich and middle class americans are thinking. sure, they're concerned with the poor people, but they're not going to sacrifice what they have and go outside in the heat (lower their standard of living).
i don't know what the verses mean where he says "i really want to see you tonight". they weren't in the demo and don't seem to fit with the theme, but it might have changed or i might just be plain wrong.