This song reminds me of soldiers, or a soldier, going to war, specifically to Iraq. I first thought of that because of the line, "Wolf packs and convoys and Captains and men." The line "surprised in translation" could refer to dealing with a foreign culture and language. The "welcome back to real life, the picture is gone..." is about how when soldiers get back from a tour, their life has continued on and on without them. It must be hard to discern whether "real life" is over there, in the war, or back here. The "whose authority" is questioning whether the authority over the soldier is valid. The soldier in the song is dissolusioned about the war and realizes his heros were "paper." Perhaps the soldier realizes that he can't really see the authority... whether it's God or ideals about nationalism or the government.
I really like your interpretation. I kind "on whose authority" relates to the freedom of being able to make your own decisions, since you're told exactly what to do in the army. The search for a similar authority structure coupled with the "ahhs" seems to be a sense of relief and realising that you're entirely free to do as you please.
I really like your interpretation. I kind "on whose authority" relates to the freedom of being able to make your own decisions, since you're told exactly what to do in the army. The search for a similar authority structure coupled with the "ahhs" seems to be a sense of relief and realising that you're entirely free to do as you please.
This song reminds me of soldiers, or a soldier, going to war, specifically to Iraq. I first thought of that because of the line, "Wolf packs and convoys and Captains and men." The line "surprised in translation" could refer to dealing with a foreign culture and language. The "welcome back to real life, the picture is gone..." is about how when soldiers get back from a tour, their life has continued on and on without them. It must be hard to discern whether "real life" is over there, in the war, or back here. The "whose authority" is questioning whether the authority over the soldier is valid. The soldier in the song is dissolusioned about the war and realizes his heros were "paper." Perhaps the soldier realizes that he can't really see the authority... whether it's God or ideals about nationalism or the government.
I really like your interpretation. I kind "on whose authority" relates to the freedom of being able to make your own decisions, since you're told exactly what to do in the army. The search for a similar authority structure coupled with the "ahhs" seems to be a sense of relief and realising that you're entirely free to do as you please.
I really like your interpretation. I kind "on whose authority" relates to the freedom of being able to make your own decisions, since you're told exactly what to do in the army. The search for a similar authority structure coupled with the "ahhs" seems to be a sense of relief and realising that you're entirely free to do as you please.