Here's what I see and hear in this song...
The first verse is describing the supposedly "Great Wars" such as WWII and Vietnam that Greg and Brett's fathers and grandfathers had to define their generations, for better or worse.
The second verse is the results of the Beat Generation and the drug scenes of the '60s and '70s, and how the participants tended to burn out and fade into mediocre existences.
The third verse finds modern man (modern for the '80s and '90s that is) dealing with a life that holds no real challenges or paths to personal glory, where the days blend together like a dirge.
That's why the singer asserts his individuality so strongly in the choruses, in doing so he is rejecting all three of the other ways of life and taking his chances on his own path. He is saying he doesn't give a shit if you like how he's living because he likes it and that's all that matters.
Here's what I see and hear in this song... The first verse is describing the supposedly "Great Wars" such as WWII and Vietnam that Greg and Brett's fathers and grandfathers had to define their generations, for better or worse. The second verse is the results of the Beat Generation and the drug scenes of the '60s and '70s, and how the participants tended to burn out and fade into mediocre existences. The third verse finds modern man (modern for the '80s and '90s that is) dealing with a life that holds no real challenges or paths to personal glory, where the days blend together like a dirge. That's why the singer asserts his individuality so strongly in the choruses, in doing so he is rejecting all three of the other ways of life and taking his chances on his own path. He is saying he doesn't give a shit if you like how he's living because he likes it and that's all that matters.
Or at least that's what I got from it!