State of Emergency
Breaking the Chains: Unmasking the Urgency of Stiff Little Fingers' 'State of Emergency'
Lyrics
You're looking for something
You are searching for something.
But what could that be?
The nature of what you are seeking is unclear.
You look for a hero
You are seeking a hero figure.
Yeah, don't look at me
The singer asserts that they are not the hero you are looking for.
You're lookin' around yourself, there's nothing you can find
Your search yields nothing, and you are surrounded by emptiness.
You look for solutions
You are trying to find solutions, but hate has clouded your judgment.
But hate has made you blind
Hate has blinded you to potential solutions.
You keep looking 'round you
You continue searching for something within your mind.
For something that's in your mind
The elusive something remains undefined.
And you've spent the last ten years of your life
The last ten years of your life have been spent in a state of emergency.
In this emergency
Highlighting the urgency and critical nature of the situation.
So please, just don't sit there
An urging to take action instead of passive observation.
Let's try to break out
Suggesting a collective effort to break free from negative influences.
From all the hatred
Identifying hatred, suspicion, and doubt as obstacles to overcome.
Suspicion and doubt
Encouraging a change in life that is currently devoid of meaning.
Try to change your life that is no life at all
An appeal to dismantle mental barriers and preconceptions.
Try to break down the imaginary wall
Emphasizing the importance of taking action rather than being indifferent.
And if you couldn't be bothered
If you are indifferent, you will experience a negative consequence.
Well then, my friend, you'll fall
The consequence is spending the rest of your life in an emergency state.
And spend all the rest of your life
Reiterating the long-lasting impact of indifference on one's life.
In this emergency
The urgency and critical nature of the situation are reiterated.
Don't look at me
A reaffirmation that the singer is not the hero you seek.
It's an emergency!
Declaring the situation as an emergency.
One-two-three-four!
A musical cue, perhaps signaling a change or intensification in the message.
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