Lyric discussion by mah-nikka_please 

Cover art for A Poor Man's Memory lyrics by Explosions in the Sky

whenever i listen to this song, i always think of an old man who has lost his memory and can't remember his family, his past anything and the beginning of the song represents the struggles the family goes through to help their father/grandfather remember.. and as the song continues the music is more intense and i feel that it shows he's starting to maybe remember something and then the big climax comes which i think represent the old man's memories of the war (which would explain the drums) and all those painful memories return to him and he just wants to forget again.. and he forgets or doesn't want to think about anything because he's afraid of remembering starting the song almost all over again..

that's just my interpretation though, explosions opens up so many endless possibilities.