Following the opening song "Soldier's Grin," the album continues its war theme with "Call it a Ritual"
The desert is the Middle East. The soldiers of the modern armies tour through this antiquated underdeveloped land on their undefined mission.
"Well into the desert we must go
So into the desert we go"
Notice how the why of this operation is never discussed. We're just going. There is a whole list of excuses for this war that have all been debunked. Yet Neo-conservatives maintain the action was justified.
"you said the desert will eat us alive
I said I'll make the decisions you just drive"
President Bush is noted of calling himself "The decider."
"and i saw the windmill wings were gone
and i heard the wind come creepin around
call it an act of easy mercy
to tear the structure down"
A very pragmatic modernist view. Tearing down the useless, outdated windmill is equivalent to demolishing the old world system of tyrant and oppressed people. Clear the way for democracy and a system that works.
"they will swing swing their swords for show
while you turn your flower petals so slow"
The sword is a symbol for war and the flower a symbol of peace. The "swing their swords for show" illustrates how this war is not true, total war. It is a very delicate and conplex situation that is beyond the conventional armies marching into a field to do battle. Much can be accomplished with a show of force.
Following the opening song "Soldier's Grin," the album continues its war theme with "Call it a Ritual"
The desert is the Middle East. The soldiers of the modern armies tour through this antiquated underdeveloped land on their undefined mission.
"Well into the desert we must go So into the desert we go"
Notice how the why of this operation is never discussed. We're just going. There is a whole list of excuses for this war that have all been debunked. Yet Neo-conservatives maintain the action was justified.
"you said the desert will eat us alive I said I'll make the decisions you just drive"
President Bush is noted of calling himself "The decider."
"and i saw the windmill wings were gone and i heard the wind come creepin around call it an act of easy mercy to tear the structure down"
A very pragmatic modernist view. Tearing down the useless, outdated windmill is equivalent to demolishing the old world system of tyrant and oppressed people. Clear the way for democracy and a system that works.
"they will swing swing their swords for show while you turn your flower petals so slow"
The sword is a symbol for war and the flower a symbol of peace. The "swing their swords for show" illustrates how this war is not true, total war. It is a very delicate and conplex situation that is beyond the conventional armies marching into a field to do battle. Much can be accomplished with a show of force.