Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Bonehead XL 

Cover art for Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?) lyrics by David Bowie

The subtitle always made me assume the song was about World War III, which goes in hand with the apocalyptic mood of the whole album. I think I read somewhere where Bowie said it was about young men partying before being sent off to war.