The Winning Side

Here are the lyrics as I hear them.

Well I admit to the mistakes At least privately, in takes Theres another one

And I'd say we'll be okay But thats a lie man, I mean hey We're all dying young

It's not a wish, although it seems It's more like a terrifying dream And I'm serious

It's either whisky or a bong or a car crash or a bomb I'm serious

Because the only thing I think When I wake up in my bed And my stomach turns As these pages turn Is the world buring? Is it only in my head?

On the screen on the T.V. On the scene in front of me With all the white noise And the static and stark little screams This is war, this is death This has really been a bet On the winning side The winning side The winning side The winning side

And i'm sitting in a train Over Brooklyn in the rain All by myself

When a thought occurs to me That all these people want to be Just somewhere else

Like everyday it's just a loss Spent arguing with your boss Over a coffee break

Well the same is true for me I mean one more indignity And I'm going to break

Because the only thing I think When he walks out on the screen He says the sky falls And your duty calls Man, it takes some balls To be so obscene

On the screen on the T.V. All the scene in front of me With all the white noise And the stark little screams This is war, this is death This has really been a bet On the winning side The winning side The winning side The winning side The right side The right side Well they shipped you off And your parents cried It all falls away so quietly When you wake up to reality

A reality What's reality What's reality What's reality It's a fucking play

Well I've got a brother in Iraq And I've got no way to get him back Like all those people in the sands Buried in Afganistan I got a child in a crib I got a father in a bib I got no pills I got no skills I got no idea what I did I just wonder every second Every minute that passes by Are we living, are we dreaming, are We winning where we die In the cloud of dust In a mushroom burst In a series of dead With ? first

All alone in a hospital bed Wondering what we might have done instead

With a life time a life time

Well we paid our dues and we did our time But, please tell me exactly what was our crime When I stand, struck by this farthing lie I'm losing sight I'm losing ties I hope you choke On all your lies

My personal opinion on the meaning: A young man feels as thought there is no point to the monotony of everyday life. Seeking glory and respect, he joins the military. When he arrives he learns that it is much worse than he expected, he questions if he is doing the right thing and if he's on the right side. Later in life he has just as many troubles and is haunted by the things he saw. Finally he realizes that it's all politics and people are dying on someone's whim.