a lot of you guys are half getting it right and some of you are missing the point completely.
this song is not about avoiding giving up on ideas as you grow older.
Frank is writing about the implication of seeing the complexities of issues as he grows up; things are much less black and white and it is clear that radically changing the world/society is not really doable. "punk rock didn't turn out how i hoped that it could be". lots of young, energetic, optimistic left wingers try to change the world and grow up to see that the issues are far more complex than they had originally thought. "idiot fucking hippies, poor excuse for protest etc"
the end of the song is about nostalgically enjoying the days when it was all black and white and the corporations and governments were evil and the left wing hippies and punks were right and were going to change the world.
But memories of hope, and glorious defeat
Are a little bit harder to beat
frank knows now that there is no victory to be had and that defeat is inevitable; there won't be a radical shift in socity etc. but it was worth trying and it was fun to try.
a lot of you guys are half getting it right and some of you are missing the point completely.
this song is not about avoiding giving up on ideas as you grow older.
Frank is writing about the implication of seeing the complexities of issues as he grows up; things are much less black and white and it is clear that radically changing the world/society is not really doable. "punk rock didn't turn out how i hoped that it could be". lots of young, energetic, optimistic left wingers try to change the world and grow up to see that the issues are far more complex than they had originally thought. "idiot fucking hippies, poor excuse for protest etc"
the end of the song is about nostalgically enjoying the days when it was all black and white and the corporations and governments were evil and the left wing hippies and punks were right and were going to change the world.
But memories of hope, and glorious defeat Are a little bit harder to beat
frank knows now that there is no victory to be had and that defeat is inevitable; there won't be a radical shift in socity etc. but it was worth trying and it was fun to try.