I think this song is about a dying WWII veteran. In the first part, he is saying how he will miss the world, and wonder what things will happen after he is gone. the "Stay on your feet in your hole" could refer to a foxhole or a grave.
In the first chorus, Mr. Four Eyes is the veteran,( he is old and needs glasses). The speaker (family? old war buddy?) is saying that he/she still loves and/or cares for him. The Young blonde haired stranger could maybe be a german soldier, because the whole Aryan race thing. The narrator is saying how their differences make them closer.
The next part, i think, gives away that it is about WWII. the"dark on the holidays" refers to the fact that the war did not end by Christmas, as most people thought it would. "Morphine blurts out little chunks" means its very cold, so maybe this is int he Arden Forest. People dont want to know if your freezing to death, they just want you to do your job and fight. "One nap and then.." means if you nap, you will probably die of the cold.
In the next chorus, it refers to the man as Mr. Veteran. The speaker is saying how it tried to save his life, (maybe old war friend?) Honestly, i dont know what the "Mrs. Undone" part means.
"Salts deprived from the eyes", could possibly mean that the speaker has cried all he could (salty tears), and without "patience and a foothold to grip", he'll be the next in line to die. He has a rope, (he can kill himself if he wants to). This next part I'm a little shakey on. "If its burning while im rising" could mean that if something exploded and killed him (rising as in going to heaven), it could only be the second best way to die.
The last verse is basically about the narrator saying he thinks he heard the dead mans voice, but he tells himself its nothing. The carry on part is what he thinks he heard the dead man say.
My theory is definitely shaky in some parts, but i think that WWII is the basic gist of the song. But who knows...FTM songs can be interpreted in many ways and i could be way off base. :D
I think this song is about a dying WWII veteran. In the first part, he is saying how he will miss the world, and wonder what things will happen after he is gone. the "Stay on your feet in your hole" could refer to a foxhole or a grave. In the first chorus, Mr. Four Eyes is the veteran,( he is old and needs glasses). The speaker (family? old war buddy?) is saying that he/she still loves and/or cares for him. The Young blonde haired stranger could maybe be a german soldier, because the whole Aryan race thing. The narrator is saying how their differences make them closer. The next part, i think, gives away that it is about WWII. the"dark on the holidays" refers to the fact that the war did not end by Christmas, as most people thought it would. "Morphine blurts out little chunks" means its very cold, so maybe this is int he Arden Forest. People dont want to know if your freezing to death, they just want you to do your job and fight. "One nap and then.." means if you nap, you will probably die of the cold. In the next chorus, it refers to the man as Mr. Veteran. The speaker is saying how it tried to save his life, (maybe old war friend?) Honestly, i dont know what the "Mrs. Undone" part means. "Salts deprived from the eyes", could possibly mean that the speaker has cried all he could (salty tears), and without "patience and a foothold to grip", he'll be the next in line to die. He has a rope, (he can kill himself if he wants to). This next part I'm a little shakey on. "If its burning while im rising" could mean that if something exploded and killed him (rising as in going to heaven), it could only be the second best way to die. The last verse is basically about the narrator saying he thinks he heard the dead mans voice, but he tells himself its nothing. The carry on part is what he thinks he heard the dead man say. My theory is definitely shaky in some parts, but i think that WWII is the basic gist of the song. But who knows...FTM songs can be interpreted in many ways and i could be way off base. :D