Cruel Lyrics

Lyric discussion by matti 

Cover art for Cruel lyrics by Calexico

"cruel, heartless reign chasing short term gains right down to the warning signs"

I believe there are strong allusions to the Bush era. But there's also this (paradoxically) both more personal and more general dimension. It refers to internal split in a person, basically any of us, who finds him/herself torn between ideals and reality. Self-deceit and self-conceit take place. As a result, a person or a nation might find itself sceptical and weary towards it's own lifestyle.

"weather flees underground"

It's quite difficult not to read this as a reference to Weather Undergound. Weather fleas underground?