After the War
Reflections on Post-War Consequences
Lyrics
They're burning down all these homes
Symbolizes destruction and upheaval, likely in a war or conflict.
Everybody's gonna end up alone and broke
Anticipates a bleak future where everyone is left isolated and impoverished.
What you gonna do when it's all over
Raises the question of how one will respond when the chaos subsides.
Hide away and pretend you've done nothing
Suggests a tendency to avoid responsibility by hiding and denying involvement.
There'll be a point when this will end (there always is)
Acknowledges the eventual conclusion of the turmoil, a common occurrence.
When you reach out to your ugly friends (ignorance is bliss)
Highlights the preference for ignorance and the company of like-minded individuals.
Half of them will be dead like your victims
Suggests that some associates will not survive, drawing a parallel to victims.
Now go and hunt for your alibis to wash you clean
Encourages finding excuses to absolve oneself and cleanse from guilt.
After the war, after the killing
Envisions a post-war scenario with lingering unanswered questions.
There'll be millions of questions that no one will answer
Emphasizes the multitude of unresolved inquiries after the killing stops.
No words can bring back all of these people
Asserts the powerlessness of words in resurrecting the deceased.
No words can undo all the guilt
Stresses the irrevocable nature of guilt, immune to verbal redemption.
Killed people stay killed
Expresses a grim reality that the dead remain in that state.
You might say you've just been a cog in the machine
Addresses the potential excuse of being a mere component in a larger system.
You had your orders so your hands are clean
Implies a clean conscience based on following orders, possibly questioning its validity.
But you might know it's not that simple
Suggests the complexity of the situation beyond a simple adherence to orders.
And I know too that there's more to it than meets the eye
Recognizes a deeper, hidden layer to the circumstances not immediately apparent.
After the war, after the killing
Reiterates the aftermath of war, emphasizing the persisting unanswered questions.
There'll be millions of questions that no one will answer
Underlines the enduring ambiguity and lack of resolution post-conflict.
No words can bring back all of these people
Reiterates the inability of words to resurrect the deceased after the war.
No words can undo all the guilt
Restates the permanence of guilt, impervious to verbal attempts at erasure.
Killed people stay killed
Concludes with a stark reminder of the irreversible nature of death.
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