HA! Made you look

Seriously, this is so crazy, I am actually posting twice in a week.

I wanted to post about the new System of a Down cd, Hypnotize. Specifically, as you know if you followed the link, Soldier Side. Lyrics, per the website, as follows:

SOLDIER SIDE
Dead men lying on the bottom of the grave
Wondering when Savior comes
Is he gonna be saved
Maybe you're a sinner into your alternate life
Maybe you're a joker, maybe you deserve to die

They were crying when their sons left
God is wearing black
He's gone so far to find no hope
He's never coming back

They were crying when their sons left
All young men must go
He's come so far to find the truth
He's never going home

Young men standing on the top of their own graves
Wondering when Jesus comes
Are they gonna be saved
Cruelty to the winner, Bishop tells the King his lies
Maybe you're a mourner, maybe you deserve to die

They were crying when their sons left
God is wearing black
He's gone so far to find no hope
He's never coming back

They were crying when their sons left
All young men must go
He's come so far to find no truth
He's never going home

Welcome to the Soldier Side
Where there's no one here but me
People all grow up to die
There is no one here but me

Welcome to the Soldier Side
Where there's no one here but me
People on the soldier's side
There is no one here but me

---

The first time I head this song I immediately thought of the Crusades, based on the evangelical allusions, God wearing black, as in God being in mourning or the abandonment-obsession with God during the Dark Ages, and the image of all young men having to go fight. The clencher, for me at least, was the he's gone so far, to find no hope and no truth that he's never coming back/home, referencing an exodus or endless journey from Europe to Turkey-ish where the Crusaders ended up taking up 'shop' as it were, never to return.

Hmm. Then again, this could be some pretty rampant social commentary. Either works. Current social commentary I would equate to current presidential endeavours I will not embelish here. Here are some of the connections I liked to substantiate this claim (if one can even be said to make such an outrageous leap). You decide:

1) Some of this is in the present tense: God is wearing black. Indicating a current phenomenon. So, a current, or modern theme, for 'wearing black' is to be in mourning OR to be in a position of Beaurocratic power, such as a leader or an executive - also referenced as a 'Suit', generally. God, in the context of a leader or Suit, I think is a social stab indicating the President. So, currently GOD is a LEADER/SUIT/PRESIDENT.

2) Given the above: They were crying when their sons left ... All young men must go. Reference to the inevitable shipping off of the young men, making a swift kick at the attempt by the Establishment to activate the Draft.

There are two ways to read this next section, I will split them into 3) and 4).

3) There are two ways to read the Refrain. The first couples the first and second stanza's, giving the He reference (both capitalized since they begin the lines) to one entity. He would therefore relate to God, see 1) for God reference. So, God has gone so far (the middle east) to find no hope He's never coming back. Que obvio, so committed there is no way of renegging on this one. The worst part being, He didn't just NOT find hope(suggesting there was hope to be found), he found NO HOPE (complete lost cause). Then, God's come so far to find no truth, God's never coming home. That's right, God's going to talk a good game, but those forces/presence are never actually going to leave 'so far'. For examples, please note that the biggest US military installments include Japan and Germany.

4) The second way to read the lines is separately. He references God in the first stanza indicating the finding of no hope and no ability to bow out of the situation. He in the second stanza is a little confusing, however, since sons and young men are plural. That aside, let's assume the second reference is to the young man/soldier. So the individual found no truth and is never going home. Enlisted personell are forced into longer terms and 1 - 3 year extensions on their 'tours' this is terrible, and mostly due the government's inabilty to recruit (as recruitment fell something outrageous like 63% this year) and ability to 'option' the enlistedmen to longer commitments. Either that or they could be shot, since several thousand died already.

5) Soldier Side seems to reference the first stanza, the death and dying of a soldier and the loneliness therein when he reflects that his Commander failed him, and that he will die not finding any truth, an end in sight, and a longing for home he will never quench.

6) Savior in the first stanza is fairly powerful given the overall impression of the song. Given that God is a man, and 'lost' accordingly, he will give no salvation. Savior is also not THE Savior, alluding to a disembodement of the idea of a One Savior, and suggesting that maybe death itself is salvation from such a terrible cause and feeling of complete helplessness.

Good times, good times.

~B