I've always taken this song to be about a group of soldiers who have been through hell and are still being asked to put their lives on the line by their superior officers. The "I" in this song is the CO of the unit, and he's taking his unit's side.
The first two stanzas is the CO describing the state of his unit, and the "step aside" line is the CO telling his superiors to piss off when they want to send them back into battle.
The "Angel down" part is one of his men going down under fire.
The final two stanzas make it seem like the CO's superiors are telling him his unit will get a break ("fake lies") but that he doesn't buy it ("this soothing makes me very afraid") and subsequently tells his men to prepare for battle ("paint your eyes and bite your tongue").
I've always taken this song to be about a group of soldiers who have been through hell and are still being asked to put their lives on the line by their superior officers. The "I" in this song is the CO of the unit, and he's taking his unit's side.
The first two stanzas is the CO describing the state of his unit, and the "step aside" line is the CO telling his superiors to piss off when they want to send them back into battle.
The "Angel down" part is one of his men going down under fire.
The final two stanzas make it seem like the CO's superiors are telling him his unit will get a break ("fake lies") but that he doesn't buy it ("this soothing makes me very afraid") and subsequently tells his men to prepare for battle ("paint your eyes and bite your tongue").
That's the best I got.