I also get the feeling that it's about the start of a new relationship, particularly after being "out of the ring" for a while. ("We don't study this war no more") Someone who is reluctant to enter the fray but is provoked to do so by someone who sparks his passions - good and bad. The sinking of the Lusitania was a catalyst for American involvement in World War I (I only know this because I had to look it up after this song got stuck in my head - he's right, we don't study this war no more). The sinking of the Maine likewise sparked American involvement in the Spanish-American war and the line "It will help us not remember the Maine" is a little jaded reference to a prior heartache in a sly, funny way. You also get the sense that the new relationship is HOT, sparks all over the place, and it's with someone who has been in a similar situation ("Go on and say something dumb boy, there's no shame")
I also get the feeling that it's about the start of a new relationship, particularly after being "out of the ring" for a while. ("We don't study this war no more") Someone who is reluctant to enter the fray but is provoked to do so by someone who sparks his passions - good and bad. The sinking of the Lusitania was a catalyst for American involvement in World War I (I only know this because I had to look it up after this song got stuck in my head - he's right, we don't study this war no more). The sinking of the Maine likewise sparked American involvement in the Spanish-American war and the line "It will help us not remember the Maine" is a little jaded reference to a prior heartache in a sly, funny way. You also get the sense that the new relationship is HOT, sparks all over the place, and it's with someone who has been in a similar situation ("Go on and say something dumb boy, there's no shame")