Lyrics
Flowers that decay on the graves that are fresh
Flowers symbolize remembrance, decaying on recently dug graves.
The problem got buried alongside the flesh
The issues/problems were buried with the deceased.
The contamination of body and soul
Refers to pollution affecting both the body and soul.
By nuclear waste dumped along time ago
Nuclear waste dumped in the past causing long-term harm.
When father was thirty he worked for the state
The protagonist's father worked for the state at age 30.
Producing the weapon to keep a stalemate
Producing weapons for a stalemate, contributing to a dangerous game.
Deterrence by inference no one could win
Deterrence strategy in the Cold War, no clear winner.
Balancing power but the knife edge was thin
Power balance, but the situation was precarious.
Father was paid so he didn't complain
Protagonist's father was paid, yet saw the job as risky.
But felt that it was rather a dangerous game
The dilemma of producing destructive weapons.
Producing a toy to destroy, was it wrong?
Producing weapons raised moral questions.
But problems came up so he had to stay on
Complications arose, forcing the father to continue.
The production of waste was the problem to solve
Focus on the challenge of waste production.
It wouldn't evaporate, rot or dissolve
Nuclear waste's persistence and environmental impact.
They used metal coffins to bury at sea
Metal coffins used to dispose of waste at sea.
The nuclear radioactivity
Risks associated with nuclear radioactivity.
They said it was safe for a very long time
Assurances of safety, possibly deceptive.
And paid off the papers to say that was fine
Paid media to portray the situation as safe.
And nobody worried about that anymore
Society stopped worrying about nuclear waste.
They were too busy worrying about the next war
Preoccupied with the impending threat of the next war.
The wastage seeped out and diseases were found
Waste leakage causing diseases in underground workers.
In the lungs of the men who worked underground
Men suffering from lung issues due to exposure.
"It's coal dust, it's cancer; it's normal" they said
Dismissal of health issues as normal, possibly by authorities.
'Til somebody shouted "these people are dying, someone is lying"
A revelation that people are dying, someone is concealing the truth.
And Father is dead.
The father succumbed to the consequences of his work.
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