i agree with frangi on the "man in red" being the devil, and i agree with a lot of what trapezer said. to add on:
i think there are two speakers in the song, the singer and the devil. basically, the devil is like, yo guy, it's a long long long way down (to hell) and this town (sam's town) was meant for passing through, you need to get out of here (head for the hills). because it's a long way down to hell if you keep leading your life of sin.
"This river is wild" = this life is wild. "godspeed you boy" = good luck kid. The devil is basically telling him, it's a long way down to hell, but this life is crazy, so good luck.
In my interpretation the end is pretty sad. At first glance the lyrics seem rather happy, a revelation sort of, but brandon sounds kinda sorrowful when singing- this leads me to believe the end isn't exactly positive. The devil tells him that this town was meant for passing through, but at the end the singer mentions that the circus and the crew are just passing through, leading me to believe that the circus is just passing through and he is staying, at least for awhile, especially at the line "but there's something pulling me." He recalls to himself as he decides to continue leading his life of sin that it's a long way down to hell.
However, I don't believe that this is the ultimate fate of the character- in the song "Why do I Keep Counting" he mentions he can still change his way of living.
i agree with frangi on the "man in red" being the devil, and i agree with a lot of what trapezer said. to add on:
i think there are two speakers in the song, the singer and the devil. basically, the devil is like, yo guy, it's a long long long way down (to hell) and this town (sam's town) was meant for passing through, you need to get out of here (head for the hills). because it's a long way down to hell if you keep leading your life of sin.
"This river is wild" = this life is wild. "godspeed you boy" = good luck kid. The devil is basically telling him, it's a long way down to hell, but this life is crazy, so good luck.
In my interpretation the end is pretty sad. At first glance the lyrics seem rather happy, a revelation sort of, but brandon sounds kinda sorrowful when singing- this leads me to believe the end isn't exactly positive. The devil tells him that this town was meant for passing through, but at the end the singer mentions that the circus and the crew are just passing through, leading me to believe that the circus is just passing through and he is staying, at least for awhile, especially at the line "but there's something pulling me." He recalls to himself as he decides to continue leading his life of sin that it's a long way down to hell.
However, I don't believe that this is the ultimate fate of the character- in the song "Why do I Keep Counting" he mentions he can still change his way of living.