This song is generally about U.S. government-backed civil conflicts in the 1980's. guatemala is name-dropped, but it is also about the nicaraguan civil conflicts and the contras in Iran that were supplied by the Reagan administration and killed many of their own people. (the iran-contra affair)
it is sung from the viewpoint of a fed-up witness to these acts of violence, who is willing to go to the most desperate measures to end the violence.
all in all, a great political song.
This song is generally about U.S. government-backed civil conflicts in the 1980's. guatemala is name-dropped, but it is also about the nicaraguan civil conflicts and the contras in Iran that were supplied by the Reagan administration and killed many of their own people. (the iran-contra affair) it is sung from the viewpoint of a fed-up witness to these acts of violence, who is willing to go to the most desperate measures to end the violence. all in all, a great political song.