First of all, even if this song may have been written in response to the Falklands War, it's definitely not about that war specifically. Songs like this are usually meant to be timeless - which is what makes them so effective.
I've always interpreted "Brothers in Arms" as being anti-war, but nonetheless empathetic with soldiers in battle. On the one hand, the song recognizes that comradely bonds formed in battle are very strong, and that brothers in arms will fight to the death to protect each other (the military maxim that you "fight for the man beside you"). At the same time, the narrator steps back and realizes that for every band of brothers who believe in the sanctity of their comradeship, there's another group of armed men who feel exactly the same way - and will also fight to the death for their own brothers.
So what this song points out is that while hatred is usually what leads to war, friendship between brothers in arms is the fuel that feeds the flames.
@MikhailBakunin Nonsense. It was written during the 1982 Falklands War. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict".
@MikhailBakunin Nonsense. It was written during the 1982 Falklands War. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict".
First of all, even if this song may have been written in response to the Falklands War, it's definitely not about that war specifically. Songs like this are usually meant to be timeless - which is what makes them so effective.
I've always interpreted "Brothers in Arms" as being anti-war, but nonetheless empathetic with soldiers in battle. On the one hand, the song recognizes that comradely bonds formed in battle are very strong, and that brothers in arms will fight to the death to protect each other (the military maxim that you "fight for the man beside you"). At the same time, the narrator steps back and realizes that for every band of brothers who believe in the sanctity of their comradeship, there's another group of armed men who feel exactly the same way - and will also fight to the death for their own brothers.
So what this song points out is that while hatred is usually what leads to war, friendship between brothers in arms is the fuel that feeds the flames.
@MikhailBakunin Nonsense. It was written during the 1982 Falklands War. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict".
@MikhailBakunin Nonsense. It was written during the 1982 Falklands War. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict".