This is really a great song that should be more widely known.
It starts with the famous rock star having a conversation with a common working man, showing the contrast as to how their actions are looked upon by society. The worker doesn't benefit from going out on a limb to express himself by standing up to "the man" like someone in the performing arts would. He keeps his feelings and views to himself, as he will only do himself harm should he buck the system while doing his job. The rocker, on the other hand, is free to express himself however he sees fit to the adoration of his fans. But this doesn't seem right. Shouldn't we all be free to express ourselves? Would we not have a better world if we took the time to understand one another instead of bottling up our frustrations?
The second verse is a lament about the condition of the modern world, which questions the intelligence of propagating our species in light of our sinful nature and our failures. We are not only destroying the planet, we haven't learned to live peacefully amongst ourselves... yet it doesn't stop us from introducing new humans into this heartless, painful world every second of every day. Perhaps we should fix what humanity has destroyed before making it worse by mindless reproduction.
Finally, it ends with the rock star looking up at another star, the sun. In an attempt to receive forgiveness for the problems expressed in the earlier verse, he confesses to the heavens that any victories won on any battlefield haven't solved anything - they've only scorched the earth. He feels insignificant, powerless and small compared to the master of the solar system - so really, what's the point of it all? The game of life is a paradox. We want to live, to speak our minds, to have others understand and agree with us. But ultimately each one of us, no matter what we've accomplished or solved, will encounter the great leveler of death. Every one of us, good or bad in life, will decompose is the same manner, succumbing to Mother Nature. And this my friends, is the name of the game.
This is really a great song that should be more widely known.
It starts with the famous rock star having a conversation with a common working man, showing the contrast as to how their actions are looked upon by society. The worker doesn't benefit from going out on a limb to express himself by standing up to "the man" like someone in the performing arts would. He keeps his feelings and views to himself, as he will only do himself harm should he buck the system while doing his job. The rocker, on the other hand, is free to express himself however he sees fit to the adoration of his fans. But this doesn't seem right. Shouldn't we all be free to express ourselves? Would we not have a better world if we took the time to understand one another instead of bottling up our frustrations?
The second verse is a lament about the condition of the modern world, which questions the intelligence of propagating our species in light of our sinful nature and our failures. We are not only destroying the planet, we haven't learned to live peacefully amongst ourselves... yet it doesn't stop us from introducing new humans into this heartless, painful world every second of every day. Perhaps we should fix what humanity has destroyed before making it worse by mindless reproduction.
Finally, it ends with the rock star looking up at another star, the sun. In an attempt to receive forgiveness for the problems expressed in the earlier verse, he confesses to the heavens that any victories won on any battlefield haven't solved anything - they've only scorched the earth. He feels insignificant, powerless and small compared to the master of the solar system - so really, what's the point of it all? The game of life is a paradox. We want to live, to speak our minds, to have others understand and agree with us. But ultimately each one of us, no matter what we've accomplished or solved, will encounter the great leveler of death. Every one of us, good or bad in life, will decompose is the same manner, succumbing to Mother Nature. And this my friends, is the name of the game.
It almost sounds like he was reading the last couple chapters of Ecclesiastes.
It almost sounds like he was reading the last couple chapters of Ecclesiastes.