Brilliant lyrics. I also think its a narrative about the psychology behind the invasionary force of a counter-insurgent war, either Vietnam or Iraq. Just to add to what's already been said I think the most telling lyrics are.
"And outta black a figure forms a soldier in the sky.
With a drop of love, trying to set you free."
Obviously a reference to a helicopter or fighter jet ("outta black a figure forms a soldier in the sky") dropping napalm or some form of high grade explosive ("with a drop of love") on a group of civilians under the pretext of liberation ("trying to set you free") .
"Run for the hills, pick up your feet and lets go.
We did our jobs, pick up speed now lets move."
This is a reference to an officer telling his troops to leave a battle scene ("Run for the hills, pick up your feet and lets go") after the massacre and justifying the immorality of their act in the typical way that professional killers do ("We did our jobs...").
"Fire at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind.
Hire only thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads."
This ending lyric elaborates the final battle which every surviving soldier faces -the internal, psychological trauma which violent warfare imprints upon their minds and how they must expel them from their being in order to renter civilian society. ("Fire at the at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind.") The final line about hiring "thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads" may refer to drug dependencies like alcohol, heroin, etc. that will dull the violent memories of what they had done in war.
Brilliant lyrics. I also think its a narrative about the psychology behind the invasionary force of a counter-insurgent war, either Vietnam or Iraq. Just to add to what's already been said I think the most telling lyrics are.
Obviously a reference to a helicopter or fighter jet ("outta black a figure forms a soldier in the sky") dropping napalm or some form of high grade explosive ("with a drop of love") on a group of civilians under the pretext of liberation ("trying to set you free") .
This is a reference to an officer telling his troops to leave a battle scene ("Run for the hills, pick up your feet and lets go") after the massacre and justifying the immorality of their act in the typical way that professional killers do ("We did our jobs...").
This ending lyric elaborates the final battle which every surviving soldier faces -the internal, psychological trauma which violent warfare imprints upon their minds and how they must expel them from their being in order to renter civilian society. ("Fire at the at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind.") The final line about hiring "thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads" may refer to drug dependencies like alcohol, heroin, etc. that will dull the violent memories of what they had done in war.