i think its a mixture, maybe a man has come back from service to his hometown and its all different, possibly for the worst. Or maybe it could be about america as a whole, im stuck between those to ideas. But in the chorus it says "hey pretty darling dont wait up for", this could mean one of two things. Literally he is telling his girl not to wait for him to come back and to move on in life. Or it could be telling his hometown/America to carry on its journey and not to wait for him to catch up.
i think its a mixture, maybe a man has come back from service to his hometown and its all different, possibly for the worst. Or maybe it could be about america as a whole, im stuck between those to ideas. But in the chorus it says "hey pretty darling dont wait up for", this could mean one of two things. Literally he is telling his girl not to wait for him to come back and to move on in life. Or it could be telling his hometown/America to carry on its journey and not to wait for him to catch up.