Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders
Here are the young men, well where have they been?
We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chamber
Pushed to the limit, we dragged ourselves in

Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying
We saw ourselves now as we never had seen
Portrayal of the trauma and degeneration
The sorrows we suffered and never were free

Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?

Weary inside, now our heart's lost forever
Can't replace the fear, or the thrill of the chase
Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings
Open then shut, then slammed in our face

Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?
Where have they been?


Lyrics submitted by typo, edited by BlumpkinLord, v00n

Decades [2020 Digital Master] Lyrics as written by Ian Kevin Curtis Bernard Sumner

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Decades song meanings
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  • +3
    General Comment

    it's astounding how sensitive Ian (who'd never experienced any touch of war) was to create such pictures of war. "Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying We saw ourselves now as we never had seen" - nobody can find better words to describe the realization of the atrocities. The whole song for me is more like a confessional, remorse and regret "These rituals showed up the door for our wanderings" - i'm pretty sure he talks about the effects on mental health caused by buntons, concentration camps and other realities of the war. i don't think he intended to point out any particular war, and i think that is proved by the song name itself. 'Decades', i suppose, is named so to emphasize a horrifying amount of time wars takes the human race.

    deniromanoffon March 28, 2011   Link

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