As others have noted, "blood on my hands" and "bleeding heart" refer to the classic liberal guilt that often plagues those who are raised in a privelaged class as they mature and grow to discover a broad perspective of economic imbalance.
References to the steep mountain where "only a few" soak up the rays and have all the fun is a clear allusions to the economic mountain that the poor and working class spend their entire lives attempting to ascend, usually unsuccessfully. The "giant hog" is a symbol of wealth and gluttony.
The "oscillating phase" refers to the never ending political battles. The pendulum swings back and forth between the the parties, but the people are "lost" in the osscollation while the elite continue to soak up the rays. "How'd we get so far from the sun" put another way would ask "How did the economic gap become so large?" Not just in America but on a global scale.
The "alien land beyond the western squalls" refers to third world countries where laborers "work for nothing at all". They aren't privy to Western faux luxaries like "malls or the lawaway plan" that afford Americans the capacity to purchase "everything you could want". The "beautiful grave" is the debt we dig ourslves into so that we can posses these beautiful things on the backs of "invisible slaves" who "are too far away for a ghost to haunt", in other words, too far away for us to really think or care about, so we aren't "haunted" by the ghosts of those exploited workers.
"What will we charge? Letting go of a claim so large" implies that the we won't let go of our cushy lives so easily and the speaker considers the "charge" of being displaced: possibly bloodshed and violence. "All our working days are done, but a tiny few are having all the fun" references working class retirees who have reached the end of their working days but haven't built up enough wealth during their lifetimes to truly enjoy their golden years.
"Get used to the dust in your lungs" is a summarizing sentiment that doesn't just refer to pollution, but also to a broader message that implies "you have no choice but to deal with the consequences of those in power", pollution being only one consequence of such.
"Is there no way down from this peak to solid ground, without having our gold teeth pulled from our mouths?" contemplates if enough resources exist for huge emerging economies (like China) while still leaving us with the luxaries we enjoy today.
"Make me a drink strong enough to wash away this dishwater world they said was lemonade" is a submission to the reality that the world isn't the pretty picture that we're told, but its easier to indulge in distractions and luxaries rather than live with the nasty taste of reality in our mouths.
As others have noted, "blood on my hands" and "bleeding heart" refer to the classic liberal guilt that often plagues those who are raised in a privelaged class as they mature and grow to discover a broad perspective of economic imbalance.
References to the steep mountain where "only a few" soak up the rays and have all the fun is a clear allusions to the economic mountain that the poor and working class spend their entire lives attempting to ascend, usually unsuccessfully. The "giant hog" is a symbol of wealth and gluttony.
The "oscillating phase" refers to the never ending political battles. The pendulum swings back and forth between the the parties, but the people are "lost" in the osscollation while the elite continue to soak up the rays. "How'd we get so far from the sun" put another way would ask "How did the economic gap become so large?" Not just in America but on a global scale.
The "alien land beyond the western squalls" refers to third world countries where laborers "work for nothing at all". They aren't privy to Western faux luxaries like "malls or the lawaway plan" that afford Americans the capacity to purchase "everything you could want". The "beautiful grave" is the debt we dig ourslves into so that we can posses these beautiful things on the backs of "invisible slaves" who "are too far away for a ghost to haunt", in other words, too far away for us to really think or care about, so we aren't "haunted" by the ghosts of those exploited workers.
"What will we charge? Letting go of a claim so large" implies that the we won't let go of our cushy lives so easily and the speaker considers the "charge" of being displaced: possibly bloodshed and violence. "All our working days are done, but a tiny few are having all the fun" references working class retirees who have reached the end of their working days but haven't built up enough wealth during their lifetimes to truly enjoy their golden years.
"Get used to the dust in your lungs" is a summarizing sentiment that doesn't just refer to pollution, but also to a broader message that implies "you have no choice but to deal with the consequences of those in power", pollution being only one consequence of such.
"Is there no way down from this peak to solid ground, without having our gold teeth pulled from our mouths?" contemplates if enough resources exist for huge emerging economies (like China) while still leaving us with the luxaries we enjoy today.
"Make me a drink strong enough to wash away this dishwater world they said was lemonade" is a submission to the reality that the world isn't the pretty picture that we're told, but its easier to indulge in distractions and luxaries rather than live with the nasty taste of reality in our mouths.
Quality lyrics on this track, great CD.