BnL's War on Drugs and the American Lifestyle

well that took a while... but I'm finally posting! 
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Barenaked Ladies - War On Drugs

Verse 1
She likes to sleep with the radio on
So she can dream of her favorite song
The one that no one has ever sung since she was small

She'll never know that she made it up
She had a soul and we ate it up
Thrown away like a paper cup
The music falls

The only flaw in her detailed plan
Is where she wins back the love of her man
Everyone knows that he's never coming back

He took her heart and she took his name
He couldn't stand taking all the blame
He left her only with guilt and shame and then she cracked

This verse encapsulates the common distress in modern day relationships. People get married too soon and end up getting divorces, people think they are in love but don't wait to see if they truly are. And when one person can't stand it any more and cuts off their relationship, their partner is usually pretty emotionally damaged.

Chorus
Won't it be dull when we rid ourselves
Of all these demons haunting us
To keep us company

The American people live off fear and hatred. Those demons that haunt us can be anything from this months rent, to that dog next door that just won't shut up. Everyone has these demons, they are almost impossible to completely eradicate, they are our constant prick, keeping us awake to society.

Verse 2
In the dream I refuse to have
She falls asleep in a lukewarm bath
We're left to deal with the aftermath again

On behalf of humanity
I will fight for your sanity
How profound such profanity can be 

Steven Page (lead singer for BnL) sees the damage to society, all the obscenity we plaster on everything (blood and gore, violence, sex, ect.), and he is trying to fight it. This song tries to put some of the nastiness into the light, in order to protect those who can't take the morbidity and take their lives to escape it.

Chorus
Won't it be dull when we rid ourselves
Of all these demons haunting us
To keep us company

Won't it be odd to be happy like we
Always thought we're supposed to feel
But never seem to be

The happy that people never seem to be spawns from the euphoria you get from vanquishing your various demons. That euphoria is short-lived and quickly replaced with a dull ache for something new.
 
Verse 3
Near where I live there's a viaduct
Where people jump when they're out of luck
Raining down on the cars and trucks below

They've put a net there to catch their fall
Like it'll stop anyone at all
What they don't know is when nature calls, you go

They say that Jesus and mental health
Are just for those who can help themselves
But what good is that when you live in hell on earth?

From the very fear that makes you want to die
Is just the same as what keeps you alive
It's way more trouble than some suicide is worth

The endless battle between people who commit suicide and those who try to stop it is, in a way, useless. People who commit suicide (those who really truly wanted to die, not just get attention or whatever experts say) wouldn't ever be persuaded to stop. The people who kill themselves usually have too many demons to handle, they don't know how to stop them from piling up, and sooner or later their demons overwhelm them.
 
Chorus
Won't it be dull when we rid ourselves
Of all these demons haunting us
To keep us company

Won't it be odd to be happy like we
Always thought we're supposed to feel
But never seem to be
 
Tag
Hard to admit I fought the war on drugs
My hands were tied and the phone was bugged
Another died and the world just shrugged it off

It's a very deep song for very shallow times. People these days are greedy, and with greed comes demons. These demons plague everyone everywhere. A few demons keep your life interesting and just a tad stressful, too many demons and you are consumed in your own guilt and shame. And once you crack no net will ever catch your fall into your own demise.

Sorry for the depressing topic... for some relief, scroll to the end of the page and check out the Puppy of the day. Aww, they're so cute :D

 --A_Walk


so if you wanna embed an Mp3 file use this code.

(<)embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3523697345-audio-player.swf?audioUrl=[MP3_file]" height="27" width="320"></embed(>)

sans the parentheses just the < > at the front and end.