I think it sounds like a world at war and the narration focus itself on this platoon.
First part talks about the daft politicians up there, trying to work things out with their speeches while soldiers are dying out there, as if they matter (we're not your sons);
Second stanza tells us about a group of fresh soldiers wading off to battle, sun-burnt and all (or it could imply a nuclear blast), and suddenly the machine guns and artillery shred them into pieces as they scuttled for cover;
Third stanza pictures the battle at hand, still with heavy resistance (The things beneath my floorboards fly, might imply bullets scattering near him), almost won as they cornered the enemy in (I'll never let them out);
Forth stanza is probably this soldier having woke up from the two stanzas as a recurring nightmare. Finally slept again, had nightmares of walking through fields of dead civilians and soldiers, examining them for familiar faces.
Fifth stanza describes the first moments they got air-dropped into the field, and they all had to make comfortable in foreign homes;
Sixth stanza is significant in describing all the money channeled into financing the war. While this particular platoon of soldiers are littered with injury (sometimes I hear "the lead in our guts" actually), but they're now hard boiled from previous conflicts;
Small part after this is self explanatory: no matter how many died, it is still about winning the war. Ether here might be literal chemical, or Plato's aether, both probably used to denote courage.
Last stanza goes back to the time of the airlift, before they were dropped into the battlefield, with emotions attached to the moment.
The song is good because it is left to a wide range of interpretations.
I think it sounds like a world at war and the narration focus itself on this platoon.
First part talks about the daft politicians up there, trying to work things out with their speeches while soldiers are dying out there, as if they matter (we're not your sons); Second stanza tells us about a group of fresh soldiers wading off to battle, sun-burnt and all (or it could imply a nuclear blast), and suddenly the machine guns and artillery shred them into pieces as they scuttled for cover; Third stanza pictures the battle at hand, still with heavy resistance (The things beneath my floorboards fly, might imply bullets scattering near him), almost won as they cornered the enemy in (I'll never let them out); Forth stanza is probably this soldier having woke up from the two stanzas as a recurring nightmare. Finally slept again, had nightmares of walking through fields of dead civilians and soldiers, examining them for familiar faces. Fifth stanza describes the first moments they got air-dropped into the field, and they all had to make comfortable in foreign homes; Sixth stanza is significant in describing all the money channeled into financing the war. While this particular platoon of soldiers are littered with injury (sometimes I hear "the lead in our guts" actually), but they're now hard boiled from previous conflicts; Small part after this is self explanatory: no matter how many died, it is still about winning the war. Ether here might be literal chemical, or Plato's aether, both probably used to denote courage. Last stanza goes back to the time of the airlift, before they were dropped into the battlefield, with emotions attached to the moment.
The song is good because it is left to a wide range of interpretations.