It seems that nostalgia for an England gone by is a common theme on Kinks songs. This song, written instead by Dave Davies, is a much darker take on that theme.
When he came up with the chorus of "living on a thin line", I think he was partly thinking about how tense and stressful it had been being a member of the Kinks. But in particular, it's about the instability and uncertainly in the world around them.
The first verse talks about the days of "wars that were won and lost" and when "castles are burned" are gone. It's not nostalgic and it acknowledges that these barbaric days are gone. "But inside, we're the same as we ever were."
It's unbelievable how many far-right wingnuts you get commenting on this song in the YouTube comments sections. It's because of the one line "There's no England now." But the bridge section actually attacks that kind of demagogue, the leader who says "Break their hearts and break some heads". I wonder if he was referring to the Falklands War, that had happened two years before the song was released. Dave Davies once commented that one of the main themes of the song is his hatred of politicians.
The middle verse also sums up a feeling of disillusionment with the way the world is heading, especially in politics and world affairs. "What are we going to leave for the young? / What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do..."
It seems that nostalgia for an England gone by is a common theme on Kinks songs. This song, written instead by Dave Davies, is a much darker take on that theme.
When he came up with the chorus of "living on a thin line", I think he was partly thinking about how tense and stressful it had been being a member of the Kinks. But in particular, it's about the instability and uncertainly in the world around them.
The first verse talks about the days of "wars that were won and lost" and when "castles are burned" are gone. It's not nostalgic and it acknowledges that these barbaric days are gone. "But inside, we're the same as we ever were."
It's unbelievable how many far-right wingnuts you get commenting on this song in the YouTube comments sections. It's because of the one line "There's no England now." But the bridge section actually attacks that kind of demagogue, the leader who says "Break their hearts and break some heads". I wonder if he was referring to the Falklands War, that had happened two years before the song was released. Dave Davies once commented that one of the main themes of the song is his hatred of politicians.
The middle verse also sums up a feeling of disillusionment with the way the world is heading, especially in politics and world affairs. "What are we going to leave for the young? / What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do..."
@JohnAPrestwick You have no idea what you're talking about.
@JohnAPrestwick You have no idea what you're talking about.