The chorus:
Two blackbirds can symbolize a lot of things. I like to think that those two blackbirds symbolize something similar to Blackbird by the Beatles. In this way, they could represent people overcoming difficulties (which could represent his great-grandfather). The fact that they are laughing at him, would further make sense. The birds are basically saying, by laughing, the line about how he claims “I bet I'd be a fucking coward, I bet I'd never have the guts for war”. He sees the blackbirds on the long drive home, which is why it’s 4am. I can’t say I know what he means by “I’m hoping I’m wrong”. I would guess maybe, he hopes he is wrong about having the devil in his bloodstream come for him eventually.
His great-grandfather had been in a war and at the funeral they play the war march. Apparently they played it out of time, or he felt like he was out of time and says this in a more metaphorical way, like when someone passes everything feels surreal.
The lines “I know how it feels to be, At war with the world, That never loved me” show how he can slightly relate to his great-grandfather because he struggles with depression, even if it is due to a genetic reason and not from facing an actual war. Gotta love how he attaches those two things so nicely.
Lastly, the first few lines at the very beginning might be things his great-grandfather used to say, “We wiped out all the buffalo around the turn of the last century…” etc. Older people tell stories a lot and that’s what I imagine inspired that part.
The chorus: Two blackbirds can symbolize a lot of things. I like to think that those two blackbirds symbolize something similar to Blackbird by the Beatles. In this way, they could represent people overcoming difficulties (which could represent his great-grandfather). The fact that they are laughing at him, would further make sense. The birds are basically saying, by laughing, the line about how he claims “I bet I'd be a fucking coward, I bet I'd never have the guts for war”. He sees the blackbirds on the long drive home, which is why it’s 4am. I can’t say I know what he means by “I’m hoping I’m wrong”. I would guess maybe, he hopes he is wrong about having the devil in his bloodstream come for him eventually.
His great-grandfather had been in a war and at the funeral they play the war march. Apparently they played it out of time, or he felt like he was out of time and says this in a more metaphorical way, like when someone passes everything feels surreal.
The lines “I know how it feels to be, At war with the world, That never loved me” show how he can slightly relate to his great-grandfather because he struggles with depression, even if it is due to a genetic reason and not from facing an actual war. Gotta love how he attaches those two things so nicely.
Lastly, the first few lines at the very beginning might be things his great-grandfather used to say, “We wiped out all the buffalo around the turn of the last century…” etc. Older people tell stories a lot and that’s what I imagine inspired that part.