Quote:
Originally Posted by elconguero
to expand a bit on me thinking its about America... while the lyrics are simple they seem to mean more.
"Do you remember
When we were small
Do you remember
When we believed"
dave talking about when America was just starting out. when we believed in things and were progressive. at least trying to achieve greatness.
"There were bones in the river
And ghosts in the attic
Don't go up there alone"
there were already people here in America. We have done bad things to people. don't look at those things too closely, they may scare you.
The enemy's coming
We should take cover
'Cause the odds are against us
The odds are against us
Paranoia in America. Cold war. Get under your desk, etc.
All great civilizations come to an end. Rome, etc. Odds are against us sustaining greatness. Can we?
"We're sinking in quicksand
There's no rope to save you
Well you're on your own"
Possibly alluding to wars in middle east.
"Panning for treasure"
gold rush maybe.
"Making love in the backseat"
reference to good ol days.
then he tries to tell you what to focus on and what IS important. Love, emotions, etc.
"Do you remember
When we would scream
The color of sunshine
The color of laughter
Is the color of love
The color of water
Rising up like an ocean
And pouring all over us"
but no, America just wants to focus on and watch out for the boogie man. "They took our jobs!" Terrorism. We are doomed! Doomed!
"The enemy's coming
We should take cover
The odds are against us"
Back to what you should focus on.
"Do you remember
When we would scream out loud
Come out and get me
[?] coming
Won't you come out and play
Come out and get me"
but no, we are paranoid.
"[?]
We should take cover
Oh, the odds are against us
The color of water
And the color of summer
Is pouring all over us"
Makes more sense to me thinking it is about America especially debuting it at Farm Aid.
or it's just about his kids.
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Now with Dave's current focus I bet this is closer to the truth (and i really hope the new album isn't just politics stuffed down our throats).. but I'd prefer to read this as looking back at different points in our lives. At every point we created an imaginary enemy/barrier. And every time we got past it we create a new one to get through.
My view may be skewed as this is the first new upbeat song in a long time so yes, maybe I'm giving it more of a shot than I should. I honestly think that this could be a gem with a few minor lyrical changes. "Making love in the backseat" doesn't fit in and the song should end with the "Come and get me" as a way to say I'm over these enemies and ready to fight back.
Sometimes the simplicity of the lyrics and where it takes you makes it beautiful.