Keep the People Working
Keep the People Working: Unveiling the Irony of Progress in Julian Lennon's Song
Lyrics
When they sell the final weapon, we can all watch it blow
Anticipation of the sale of a powerful weapon with the consequence of destruction.
Keep the people working, working
Emphasis on the repeated need to keep people working.
Keep the people working, working
-Keep the people working, working
-Gotta keep the people working
-In the bed of iron they cast the final weapon
Reference to the creation of the weapon in an iron bed.
Just to keep the people working, got to keep the people working
Highlighting the purpose of creating the weapon is to keep people employed.
From the mines of anatolia to the isle of mandalay
Listing locations and emphasizing the indiscriminate nature of selling weapons.
Along the coast of sullen africa, they're queuing up to pay
-No cause, I don't discriminate, I sell to those who buy
-There never was an innocent who didn't want to die
-And with demand upon the increase what could keep the cost down
Explaining that keeping people fighting increases demand and profits.
If I keep the people fighting, I can really go to town
-No surprise, the cash you borrow, we can close the deal tomorrow
Indicating the ease of closing deals and financial gain from selling weapons.
Just swiss francs or dollars won't cause me any borrow, boy
-In a bed of iron they cast the final weapon
Reiteration of the creation of the weapon to keep people working.
Just to keep the people working, got to keep the people working
-In a bed of iron they cast the final weapon
-Just to keep the people working, got to keep the people working
-Everybody itching for someone to serve the task
Describing the versatility of the seller, appearing as different personas in high society.
I'll arm the politician for the coup, the crew, the cast,
-I have a score of different faces, I can look like a lord
-Seen in high places, flying on the concorde
-Well you can marvel at precision, you can dial a telephone
Illustrating the technological aspect of warfare and its distant execution.
Call up color vision from the safety of your home
-You can mount the great offensive from a button by the chair
-If you arm the right system, you can ionize the air
-In a bed of iron, they cast the final weapon
Repeated emphasis on the creation of the weapon to maintain employment.
Just to keep the people working, got to keep the people working
-In a bed or iron they cast the final weapon
-Just to keep the people working, got to keep the people working
-Like the wind across the frontier or the breaking light of day
Traveling across different regions while selling weapons.
I push across the mountains, all around the bay of biscay
-Freeze in north america, boil in pakistan
Describing extreme weather conditions in different locations affected by conflict.
All along the amazon, from the fire to the frying pan
-Whether air, sea or battle ground, desert sand or snow
Regardless of the terrain, the impact of selling the final weapon is emphasized.
When they sell the final weapon we can all watch it blow
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