I think that largely, the song is acknowledging how our society has certain expectations of men, and that searching for meaning in the context of societal pressures and paradigms of masculinity can be difficult for many men, if not futile.
It may be important to note the usage of the word "boys", rather than "men" - the activities mentioned in the song (work, sex) are activities that we usually associate with grown men, adults. The fact that the song is "some boys" rather than "some men" attaches ideas of naïvety and innocence to the song.
Instead of portraying these boys, whose actions are hardly admirable, as simply perpetrators of cruelty, the song paints them as victims of cluelessness, clutching at straws, trying to give their lives meaning in a confusing world.
In short, I feel that it is a song that is highly empathetic towards misguided men, and although it in no way endorses these behaviours, it is not, in fact, merely a critique.
I think that largely, the song is acknowledging how our society has certain expectations of men, and that searching for meaning in the context of societal pressures and paradigms of masculinity can be difficult for many men, if not futile.
It may be important to note the usage of the word "boys", rather than "men" - the activities mentioned in the song (work, sex) are activities that we usually associate with grown men, adults. The fact that the song is "some boys" rather than "some men" attaches ideas of naïvety and innocence to the song.
Instead of portraying these boys, whose actions are hardly admirable, as simply perpetrators of cruelty, the song paints them as victims of cluelessness, clutching at straws, trying to give their lives meaning in a confusing world.
In short, I feel that it is a song that is highly empathetic towards misguided men, and although it in no way endorses these behaviours, it is not, in fact, merely a critique.