The Charge
Brave Hundreds: Echoes of Sacrifice in New Model Army's 'The Charge'
Lyrics
Our history speaks in thunder from a thousand village halls
Reflecting on history through communal gatherings, emphasizing the impact on people's lives.
In blood and sweat and sacrifice, in honouring every call
Highlighting the cost of history through struggle, commitment, and honoring duties.
So the forces gathered against the thorn a-piercing in their side
Forces gather against a persistent problem, symbolized by a thorn, signaling a challenge to be overcome.
A brave new world is beckoning so the olden world must die.
An acknowledgment of change and progress, with the necessity for the old ways to make way for the new.
In the offices of the city, at all the tables of oak and power
Critiquing powerful institutions and their manipulation, possibly in pursuit of personal gain.
The snares are laid and baited for the approaching of the hour
Indicating traps being set for an impending crisis or change.
A hundred justifications and the presses are ready to roll
Various justifications are prepared, and media outlets are ready for dissemination.
The gateways to the nation they are firmly under control
Suggesting control over access points to the nation, possibly through propaganda or censorship.
Ch: On, on, on, cried the leaders at the back
Leaders urging forward, potentially with disregard for consequences.
We went galloping down the blackened hills
Describing a rapid descent into a dark and uncertain situation.
And into the gaping trap
Entering a dangerous situation with no clear way out.
The bridges are burnt behind us and there's waiting guns ahead
Symbolic destruction of retreat options and awareness of imminent danger.
Into the valley of death rode the brave hundreds
Referencing a perilous journey undertaken by a brave group of individuals.
We called for some assistance from the friends that we had known
Seeking help from allies in a challenging period but finding none.
But this is the 1980s and we were on our own
Emphasizing isolation and self-reliance in the context of the 1980s.
We never felt like heroes or martyrs to a cause
Downplaying heroism, portraying individuals as soldiers in a difficult internal conflict.
Just battle-weary soldiers in a bloody civil war
Acknowledging the toll of a brutal civil war on the participants.
The massacre now is over and the order new enshrined
Referring to the aftermath of a conflict, with new orders in place but leaving a significant portion of the population neglected.
While a quarter of the nation are abandoned far behind
Leadership abandoning a quarter of the nation, highlighting the cost of their decisions.
Their leaders offer the cliché words, so righteous in defeat
Leaders offering clichéd words of righteousness in defeat, possibly lacking sincerity.
But no one needs morality when there isn't enough to eat
Commenting on the priorities of survival when basic needs are not met.
The unity bond is broken and the loyalty songs are fake
Unity and loyalty breaking down, suggesting the prevalence of opportunism.
I'll screw my only brother for even a glimpse at a piece of the cake
Expressing a willingness to betray even close relationships for personal gain.
We only cry in private here behind the shuttered glass
Private reflections on the emotional toll of the brigade's charge and the severing of ties with the past.
When we think of the charge of this brigade, the severing of the past
Symbolic cry from leaders urging forward, mirroring the earlier call, emphasizing irreversible actions.
Ch: On, on, on, cried the leaders at the back
Reiteration of leaders urging forward, underscoring their responsibility for the dire situation.
We went galloping down the blackened hills
Repetition of the galloping imagery, emphasizing the relentless nature of the charge.
And into the gaping trap
Reiterating the entrance into a perilous situation with no clear escape.
The bridges are burnt behind us and there's waiting guns ahead
Restating the destruction of retreat options and awareness of imminent danger.
Into the valley of death rode the brave hundreds
Recalling the brave journey into a challenging and dangerous situation.
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