To each their own I suppose, but my take on this has always been that of a warning not to let the greater politcal animal, or the "powers-that-be" pull the wool over your eyes. The lyrics refer to misinformation, question what you believe, and urge you to see things through your own eyes. Understandable, if you see this in the context of the time it was released - communism was on it's deathbead in Europe, and a great many people were experiencing political and social freedoms for perhaps the first time in their lives. Not to mention also it was the start of a new decade, taking over from one where people had high hopes and ambitions, and were awaiting the chance to see them realised. Perhaps in a way this message is more relevant today than ever, with global financial woes, climate change, terrorism and a bunch of other evils constantly in the headlines, and a seemingly endless supply of politicians ready to dispute these, and make cynical attempts to convince the populous that all is well. In short, if you want to know the truth, get out there and find it for yourself, don't let anyone construct it for you.
@Ulyanov It's ironic that those aspirations of "political freedom" coming out of the end of communism have actually led to nothing but suffrage under capitalism. The thing supposedly freeing them now enslaves them AND destroys the planet.
@Ulyanov It's ironic that those aspirations of "political freedom" coming out of the end of communism have actually led to nothing but suffrage under capitalism. The thing supposedly freeing them now enslaves them AND destroys the planet.
To each their own I suppose, but my take on this has always been that of a warning not to let the greater politcal animal, or the "powers-that-be" pull the wool over your eyes. The lyrics refer to misinformation, question what you believe, and urge you to see things through your own eyes. Understandable, if you see this in the context of the time it was released - communism was on it's deathbead in Europe, and a great many people were experiencing political and social freedoms for perhaps the first time in their lives. Not to mention also it was the start of a new decade, taking over from one where people had high hopes and ambitions, and were awaiting the chance to see them realised. Perhaps in a way this message is more relevant today than ever, with global financial woes, climate change, terrorism and a bunch of other evils constantly in the headlines, and a seemingly endless supply of politicians ready to dispute these, and make cynical attempts to convince the populous that all is well. In short, if you want to know the truth, get out there and find it for yourself, don't let anyone construct it for you.
@Ulyanov It's ironic that those aspirations of "political freedom" coming out of the end of communism have actually led to nothing but suffrage under capitalism. The thing supposedly freeing them now enslaves them AND destroys the planet.
@Ulyanov It's ironic that those aspirations of "political freedom" coming out of the end of communism have actually led to nothing but suffrage under capitalism. The thing supposedly freeing them now enslaves them AND destroys the planet.