First, I've always thought the lyrics to be:
"everybody wants a piece of some easy enterprise
can this world cut your face and carry the news that you've gotta give to be given?
cut it out cut your loss, we don't dream we fantasize
and this is how we measure the cost: the joy and the pain of 21 years of good living"
To me, this song is about the mixed emotions of living and earning a living. We want that plush life where we can live easy and not have to work and struggle and fight for what we get. But it's also good to have something to work for. Some passion that keeps you feeling like you're doing something with your life not just wasting away. We don't want to work our whole lives away becoming sad and empty, but we also don't want to waste our potential.
First, I've always thought the lyrics to be: "everybody wants a piece of some easy enterprise can this world cut your face and carry the news that you've gotta give to be given? cut it out cut your loss, we don't dream we fantasize and this is how we measure the cost: the joy and the pain of 21 years of good living"
To me, this song is about the mixed emotions of living and earning a living. We want that plush life where we can live easy and not have to work and struggle and fight for what we get. But it's also good to have something to work for. Some passion that keeps you feeling like you're doing something with your life not just wasting away. We don't want to work our whole lives away becoming sad and empty, but we also don't want to waste our potential.