The lines "Still it aches like tetanus, it reeks of politics
How many dreams remain? This is a feeling too strong to contain"
Commemorating the fallen of WWI and WWII, has been hijacked by politicians for political gain, it was hijacked at the time of war, and it's STILL being hijacked by politicians today to pit us against one another and to divide us along ideological lines.
The song is saying; "I know it's hard, but don't let politics stop you from honoring the fallen; their sacrifices and their victories, because THEY fought for US, not partisan political gain". We must ALWAYS remember that, and not use it as an excuse to ignore, or be angry with, the sacrifices of those who have taken up arms to defend, not only our nation, but other nations as well.
@LYoung - I think you widely miss the point of the song. The song is about how "these are the years between, these are the years that are hard-fought and won" (not "will be won"). The war years are not forgotten relative to the peaceful years. Turn on the history ocumentaries on the TV and you can find war documentaries. Try searching for "peace documentaries". You might find most (especially young) people unable to tell you about history, but that goes double for peaceful times vs war times, including myself. I can tell you all about battles around the world...
@LYoung - I think you widely miss the point of the song. The song is about how "these are the years between, these are the years that are hard-fought and won" (not "will be won"). The war years are not forgotten relative to the peaceful years. Turn on the history ocumentaries on the TV and you can find war documentaries. Try searching for "peace documentaries". You might find most (especially young) people unable to tell you about history, but that goes double for peaceful times vs war times, including myself. I can tell you all about battles around the world involving the US and even many without. I can describe the battle of Jutland and the Russo-Japanese War. I couldn't tell about the peaceful years in Jutland or nearby. Nope. History lessons (and the nature of men who primarily write them) is disproportionately about war. Perhaps if women controlled more of the agenda, lessons would not be so disproportionate. So, ask someone in the US or Europe about 1942's biggest event, and they will probably tell you it was WII (ongoing since 1939). Ask them about 1947 and what will it be? Forgotten. In fact, my literal first memory of 1947 is US legislation to restructure...the military (National Security Act of 1947, as was drilled into my skull at the US Air Force Academy when I was a cadet there).
Thus we get to the point of the song. The Oils don't want to perpetuate focus on war, especially the myths about heroes and how war is the answer to many problems. The Oils are well aware of the benefits and but also the costs. The demands put on war heroes are usually a reflection of societies failure to remember the value of the Forgotten Years, a failure to put in the hard work of focusing on unity, resolving problems rather than posturing as a victim and wanting more control and oppression of others. The song contains appreciation of the costs of war and also manipulative and deceptive "diplomacy" and internal suppression ("signatures stained with tears" is not just about war victory treaties), but the song is explicitly about the "years between" the wars. You can even hear citizens refer to years "between WWI and WWII". You don't hear people refer to years "between" whatever-you-call-pre-WWI and whatever-you-call-post-WWII". In fact, we have a phrase "Post-war years". We don't have "post-peace years". Peace is rarely the most referenced phase in history. The peaceful years should not be the Forgotten Years. It was in those years yet more wars were avoided and more happiness was found.
Oh, just one more point.
The lines "Still it aches like tetanus, it reeks of politics How many dreams remain? This is a feeling too strong to contain"
Commemorating the fallen of WWI and WWII, has been hijacked by politicians for political gain, it was hijacked at the time of war, and it's STILL being hijacked by politicians today to pit us against one another and to divide us along ideological lines.
The song is saying; "I know it's hard, but don't let politics stop you from honoring the fallen; their sacrifices and their victories, because THEY fought for US, not partisan political gain". We must ALWAYS remember that, and not use it as an excuse to ignore, or be angry with, the sacrifices of those who have taken up arms to defend, not only our nation, but other nations as well.
@LYoung - I think you widely miss the point of the song. The song is about how "these are the years between, these are the years that are hard-fought and won" (not "will be won"). The war years are not forgotten relative to the peaceful years. Turn on the history ocumentaries on the TV and you can find war documentaries. Try searching for "peace documentaries". You might find most (especially young) people unable to tell you about history, but that goes double for peaceful times vs war times, including myself. I can tell you all about battles around the world...
@LYoung - I think you widely miss the point of the song. The song is about how "these are the years between, these are the years that are hard-fought and won" (not "will be won"). The war years are not forgotten relative to the peaceful years. Turn on the history ocumentaries on the TV and you can find war documentaries. Try searching for "peace documentaries". You might find most (especially young) people unable to tell you about history, but that goes double for peaceful times vs war times, including myself. I can tell you all about battles around the world involving the US and even many without. I can describe the battle of Jutland and the Russo-Japanese War. I couldn't tell about the peaceful years in Jutland or nearby. Nope. History lessons (and the nature of men who primarily write them) is disproportionately about war. Perhaps if women controlled more of the agenda, lessons would not be so disproportionate. So, ask someone in the US or Europe about 1942's biggest event, and they will probably tell you it was WII (ongoing since 1939). Ask them about 1947 and what will it be? Forgotten. In fact, my literal first memory of 1947 is US legislation to restructure...the military (National Security Act of 1947, as was drilled into my skull at the US Air Force Academy when I was a cadet there).
Thus we get to the point of the song. The Oils don't want to perpetuate focus on war, especially the myths about heroes and how war is the answer to many problems. The Oils are well aware of the benefits and but also the costs. The demands put on war heroes are usually a reflection of societies failure to remember the value of the Forgotten Years, a failure to put in the hard work of focusing on unity, resolving problems rather than posturing as a victim and wanting more control and oppression of others. The song contains appreciation of the costs of war and also manipulative and deceptive "diplomacy" and internal suppression ("signatures stained with tears" is not just about war victory treaties), but the song is explicitly about the "years between" the wars. You can even hear citizens refer to years "between WWI and WWII". You don't hear people refer to years "between" whatever-you-call-pre-WWI and whatever-you-call-post-WWII". In fact, we have a phrase "Post-war years". We don't have "post-peace years". Peace is rarely the most referenced phase in history. The peaceful years should not be the Forgotten Years. It was in those years yet more wars were avoided and more happiness was found.