No Man Can Find the War
Searching in Shadows: Unraveling Tim Buckley's Enigmatic War
Lyrics
Photographs of guns and flame
Depiction of weaponry and destruction in photographs
Scarlet skull and distant game
Symbolic representation of death and a distant target
Bayonet and jungle grin
Bayonet and jungle grin suggest the brutality of war
Nightmares dreamed by bleeding men
Nightmares experienced by wounded or traumatized soldiers
Lookouts tremble on the shore
Watchmen anxiously observe from the shore
But no man can find the war
Despite the anticipation, no one can find the war
Tape recorders echo scream
Recording devices capture and replay screams of war
Orders fly like bullet stream
Orders are issued rapidly, likened to a stream of bullets
Drums and cannons laugh aloud
Musical instruments symbolize the cacophony of battle
Whistles come from ashen shroud
Whistles from a shroud imply death or mourning
Leaders damn the world and roar
Leaders condemn the world with loud roars
But no man can find the war
Despite the leaders' actions, the war remains elusive
Is the war across the sea?
Rhetorical questions about the war's location
Is the war behind the sky?
Asking if the war is beyond the visible sky
Have you each and all gone blind:
Suspecting a collective blindness to the reality of war
Is the war inside your mind?
Suggesting that the war may be a psychological or internal struggle
Humans weep at human death
Expressing sorrow for human casualties
All the talkers lose their breath
Those who speak often lose their words in the face of death
Movies paint a chaos tale
Movies depict chaotic scenes of war
Singers see and poets wail
Artists and poets respond emotionally to the harsh realities
All the world kows the score
The entire world is aware of the grim situation
But no man can find the war
Despite awareness, individuals cannot grasp the true nature of war
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