Having not known the background origins of this song, my interpretation was there is a man-boy character named Lather, who started out unmarred, innocent and ingenuous, was sent off to Vietnam war and saw terrible things, had a psychic break and came back somewhat mentally broken, and went on to do various impulsive things, e.g. nude bathing on the beach, humming with sticks in his nose, etc., and became a known character for his eccentricities.
Having not known the background origins of this song, my interpretation was there is a man-boy character named Lather, who started out unmarred, innocent and ingenuous, was sent off to Vietnam war and saw terrible things, had a psychic break and came back somewhat mentally broken, and went on to do various impulsive things, e.g. nude bathing on the beach, humming with sticks in his nose, etc., and became a known character for his eccentricities.