I'm a veteran and not really a big anti-war guy; but I love Bruce and know that he is. To me this is pretty much a flat out condemnation of the Iraq war. The Devil's Arcade is the game of war played by the pezzonovante (to borrow from Don Corleone) or the playground of big shots with soldiers as pawns.
The song is tough to unravel flow wise as the first paragraph seems to indicate a female with the inclusion of perfume in the lyric. Heroes getting made and bets getting paid all point to Iraq--slow poker games with Lt Ray in the "ward with blue walls" sounds like someone in a military hospital doing an arduous rehab/recovery. Metal and plastic where your body caved perhaps intimates a prosthesis of some type?
Buddys Charlie and Jim sound like fallen comrades. I somewhat concur with Barknoq except i think sex is involved only in the first paragraph. That's my dos centavos.
I'm a veteran and not really a big anti-war guy; but I love Bruce and know that he is. To me this is pretty much a flat out condemnation of the Iraq war. The Devil's Arcade is the game of war played by the pezzonovante (to borrow from Don Corleone) or the playground of big shots with soldiers as pawns.
The song is tough to unravel flow wise as the first paragraph seems to indicate a female with the inclusion of perfume in the lyric. Heroes getting made and bets getting paid all point to Iraq--slow poker games with Lt Ray in the "ward with blue walls" sounds like someone in a military hospital doing an arduous rehab/recovery. Metal and plastic where your body caved perhaps intimates a prosthesis of some type?
Buddys Charlie and Jim sound like fallen comrades. I somewhat concur with Barknoq except i think sex is involved only in the first paragraph. That's my dos centavos.
@cubfever7 thank you. definitely one of my favorite springsteen songs; a real gem. you helped me with a few ideas here; much appreciated.
@cubfever7 thank you. definitely one of my favorite springsteen songs; a real gem. you helped me with a few ideas here; much appreciated.