This song is heavily influenced by the book Human Cargo.
"Is this life? To stand here and wait. In this city forged of scraps.?"
This refers to refugees; who live in a perpetual state of waiting - waiting to be accepted or refused their refugee status and relocated to a new country.
" Is this life? To stand on the dead. On feces and sweat. Is this life"
Fairly accurate description of most refugee camps; from Africa to Australia.
"t’s all starting again. Quick, gather your belongings and go. Run while it’s still dark. Out here you’re as good as dead. Leave the shots echoing behind. Don’t look back until you run out of land."
Refugee camps are often ill-protected; this line seems to describe the plight of Palestinian refugees; whose camps are often attacked by Israeli forces. Refugee camps following the Rwandan genocide were also notoriously dangerous.
"When you think there’s a second that you can’t be seen, the current can decide how this night will end. Don’t try to imagine what’s ahead. Let nothing cripple your will. You will cross enormous distance only to arrive with nothing. You will give all you have."
Describing the horrors of flight, outrunning border guards, travelling through dangerous terrain, etc.
"If you navigate your way with endurance and success, if you pass the obstacles and still have your life, if you’ve escaped death, if your guts haven’t withered away, if you haven’t broken under the strain. They won’t be welcoming. ."
Addresses the failure of developed nations to live up to their own (very low, at that) standards for immigration intake.
"They forget a time when their land was swelling"
Points out the hypocracy of a nation founded on immigration due to persecution employing such repressive policies.
"A monstrous movement across the sea. When she relieved her bowels all over the world."
I believe this refers specifically to British colonialism; "she" being England.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.
This song is heavily influenced by the book Human Cargo.
"Is this life? To stand here and wait. In this city forged of scraps.?"
This refers to refugees; who live in a perpetual state of waiting - waiting to be accepted or refused their refugee status and relocated to a new country.
" Is this life? To stand on the dead. On feces and sweat. Is this life"
Fairly accurate description of most refugee camps; from Africa to Australia.
"t’s all starting again. Quick, gather your belongings and go. Run while it’s still dark. Out here you’re as good as dead. Leave the shots echoing behind. Don’t look back until you run out of land."
Refugee camps are often ill-protected; this line seems to describe the plight of Palestinian refugees; whose camps are often attacked by Israeli forces. Refugee camps following the Rwandan genocide were also notoriously dangerous.
"When you think there’s a second that you can’t be seen, the current can decide how this night will end. Don’t try to imagine what’s ahead. Let nothing cripple your will. You will cross enormous distance only to arrive with nothing. You will give all you have."
Describing the horrors of flight, outrunning border guards, travelling through dangerous terrain, etc.
"If you navigate your way with endurance and success, if you pass the obstacles and still have your life, if you’ve escaped death, if your guts haven’t withered away, if you haven’t broken under the strain. They won’t be welcoming. ."
Addresses the failure of developed nations to live up to their own (very low, at that) standards for immigration intake.
"They forget a time when their land was swelling"
Points out the hypocracy of a nation founded on immigration due to persecution employing such repressive policies.
"A monstrous movement across the sea. When she relieved her bowels all over the world."
I believe this refers specifically to British colonialism; "she" being England.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj 100% correct. This describes refugee life to this day, and this song was released over 10 years ago. I wish we could say this referred to just once instance of this horror.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.
@coccaj Excellent analysis. Australia is much more cruel than when you wrote this, starting 2013, they take everyone on a boat heading there to a country not even of their own, Papua-New Guinea, which is like, the Haitii of south-east asia and put them in refugee prisons over there nowadays.