Peace Beneath the City Lyrics

Lyric discussion by goodeyesniper 

Cover art for Peace Beneath the City lyrics by Iron & Wine

I think it's very simple.

There are three verses all starting out with two line about something we, as a society, should be concerned about. (specifics are used I think to provide a "close to home" feel, though it should be reckoned as a general specific) The first has to do with mother who died in a car wreck. The second is a boy(s) that was murdered and buried by a river bed. The third is either about hunger or war and how people are dying by the millions.

Then in each verse adds this line: "Black valley, peace beneath the city" I do believe black valley means death, and I think he is talking about the people buried beneath the city are at peace or he is speaking to the people buried beneath the city as a prayer that they are at peace.

Lastly there are two lines to close the verse. In each one there are three women* stereotypes he's pulling out here. First, you have a women that cares about nothing but sex and looking good and going about her business. Second, you have a teenage/college girl wandering the mall to buy whatever she wants so she look good, but her words are all about world prosperity. Lastly, you have a (presumably) Christian mother who prays for nothing but her own (maybe her family's as well) road to travel and a nice safe world to live in.

Interestingly enough, each of the women mention a Japanese car. This could me several things...But my take would be that they all care about the greenhouse effect and want a small safe care that gets good gas mileage. But that's just me.

*I don't know why exactly he picks on women here. I don't think it's because he's anti-women or a chauvinist pig. My take would be him thinking that these stereotypes of women could have such a strong affect on the world if they would stop being so short sighted or self-centered. But again, that's just me.