The line about "Major Reno at the bluff" sent me to Wikipedia, so I thought I'd weigh in with what I learned.
Major Reno served under General Custer at the ill-fated Battle of the Little Bighorn. The battle is commonly known as "Custer's Last Stand" because Custer (and a lot of his men) died in the fighting. Reno was ordered to lead an attack from the south, while Custer attacked from the north. The Native strength had been greatly underestimated, and Reno's men were overwhelmed and retreated to a bluff overlooking the village. They took up defensive positions and spent the remainder of that day and much of the next surrounded and under fire, as Custer and his men were wiped out. Towards the end of the second day, the Native forces withdrew and Reno's group was able to escape.
After the battle, Reno's conduct was questioned - why did he not come to Custer's aid? But he was found to have acted honorably, and carried out his duties in a desperate situation. So Custer and Reno are controversial figures. Custer is either a hero who died heroically, or an arrogant fool who is personally responsible for an avoidable defeat. Reno either failed Custer at great cost, or was smart enough to save himself and his men from a hopeless situation brought about by Custer's flawed plan.
In the context of the song, I think Aimee invokes him as a sort of patron saint of sensibly abandoning lost causes. Why stick it out when it's hopeless? Save yourself!
Then again, Aimee's songs rarely have heroes. Maybe she chose a controversial figure on purpose. Relationships fall apart in messy ways, and competing stories tend to emerge from the wreckage. Maybe she's suggesting that the subject of the song give up on the situation, because it's hopeless, but also because they're not really the sort to stick it out anyway. Leaving would be smart - and typical, too.
The line about "Major Reno at the bluff" sent me to Wikipedia, so I thought I'd weigh in with what I learned.
Major Reno served under General Custer at the ill-fated Battle of the Little Bighorn. The battle is commonly known as "Custer's Last Stand" because Custer (and a lot of his men) died in the fighting. Reno was ordered to lead an attack from the south, while Custer attacked from the north. The Native strength had been greatly underestimated, and Reno's men were overwhelmed and retreated to a bluff overlooking the village. They took up defensive positions and spent the remainder of that day and much of the next surrounded and under fire, as Custer and his men were wiped out. Towards the end of the second day, the Native forces withdrew and Reno's group was able to escape.
After the battle, Reno's conduct was questioned - why did he not come to Custer's aid? But he was found to have acted honorably, and carried out his duties in a desperate situation. So Custer and Reno are controversial figures. Custer is either a hero who died heroically, or an arrogant fool who is personally responsible for an avoidable defeat. Reno either failed Custer at great cost, or was smart enough to save himself and his men from a hopeless situation brought about by Custer's flawed plan.
In the context of the song, I think Aimee invokes him as a sort of patron saint of sensibly abandoning lost causes. Why stick it out when it's hopeless? Save yourself!
Then again, Aimee's songs rarely have heroes. Maybe she chose a controversial figure on purpose. Relationships fall apart in messy ways, and competing stories tend to emerge from the wreckage. Maybe she's suggesting that the subject of the song give up on the situation, because it's hopeless, but also because they're not really the sort to stick it out anyway. Leaving would be smart - and typical, too.