Third World Man Lyrics

Lyric discussion by pfgpowell 

Cover art for Third World Man lyrics by Steely Dan

I think everyone who thinks this is a song about a vet with post-traumatic stress disorder is right on the button. In fact, I compile a short video which you can find here <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KXgjHXsa8Vc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> along those lines. The line is Italian and was added because I think it sounded good. As for the shift in perspective, well, not every song, or even many of them have to hang together perfectly. After all it's just a song.