Never Die Young

First of all, I think this is a great first track for an album. It starts the entire album off with a cymbal crash and an inspirational electric guitar riff. Just great.

When I first heard this song, I thought it was about two people breaking up. But after listening to it quite a few times now, I think it's about two people who were always perfect for each other and who were able to make it through every hardship that they encountered.

He talks about being "ring around the rosy children" while they were "circles around the sun," evoking the thought of two people who grew up faster than those around them. He and his friends were concerned with trite games of children (probably meaning "young adults") while the two subjects of the song were onto more important things

"Synchronized with the rising moon. Even with the evening star" symbolizes their unwavering connection and his point of view that there is something special about this couple.

And as the turmoil of the world around him and his friends leads to jealousy they allow pessimism to take over and won't "believe they might make it." Instead, they "cut up their losses into doable doses" and "ration their tears and sighs" (quite a poetic way of saying that they were still dealing with the day-to-day struggles in life while this perfect couple lived in blissful union). (I initially thought he was singing "And we who had been led to believe they might make it, we had to close our eyes," which is the main reason I thought the song was about breaking up.)

"Everyone used to run them down. They’re a little too sweet, they’re a little too tight. Not enough tough for this town" again describes the envy he and his friends felt as they watched these lovebirds continue their happiness.

"We couldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. No, it didn’t seem to rattle at all. They were glued together body and soul" is pretty self-explanatory, and "That much more with their backs up against the wall" means is saying they seemed to grow even closer during tough times.

"Prey to the dust and the rust and the ruin that names us and claims us and shames us all" is confusing to listen to, and you can't really understand what he's saying unless you READ the lyrics. He uses the word "prey" rather than "pray." So, he is not saying they "pray to" or worship the dust and the rust, etc. Instead, he's describing himself and everyone else he knows as the "prey" of this unnamed beast (boredom? selfishness? human nature?) that seems to be stalking them all like the lion stalks the gazelle.

"I guess it had to happen someday soon" is referring to them getting married. (I originally thought he was talking about them breaking up here, but he's not)

"Oh yes other hearts were broken" is talking about the other people around him (and himself as well) who suffered from broken hearts, breakups and hardships throughout the relationship of "out golden ones," and he may even be alluding to the fact that other people (he and his friends) secretly loved these two people and that their hearts broke a little bit when the two got married, and it became obvious that no one else could ever have them.

But by the end of the song, he's let go of any jealousy or pessimism that might have endured and instead expresses hope that this perfect couple will make it, because, if they can, it gives everyone else the hope that they too will find happiness.