Another Age

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a disquieting picture of societal decay and disillusionment, opening with a surreal image of a man with a snake cane, a relic from a past hurricane, suggesting a lingering unease and a sense of being "one time too long." This sets a tone of displacement and the absence of guiding forces, as "all the gods are gone." The narrative then shifts to a scene of urban decay, where the "Diner Club is drowning" and "night belongs to snipers," evoking a sense of pervasive danger and the breakdown of order. The imagery of "sabres flashed like lightning" and the "charge of the last brigade" hints at past conflicts and a lingering fear, even as a new, uncertain era dawns. The central tension arises from the contrast between established order and the chaos that seems to be taking its place. The narrator observes a world where formal education offers little solace, as "I remember nothing that I memorized" and "got my education from a black eye." This suggests a disconnect between traditional learning and the harsh realities of life, where "law and order" is taught with a heavy hand, implying that true understanding comes from experience, not instruction. The repeated phrase "it has happened here" underscores a sense of inevitable, cyclical disaster that is ignored by those in power. A striking element is the juxtaposition of historical figures and archetypes with contemporary despair. Figures like Thomas Paine, Jesse James, and Robin Hood are invoked, suggesting a lineage of rebellion and a yearning for justice, but they are presented as "old friends" or riding "on the road again," implying that their struggles are ongoing or perhaps futile. The declaration "If that was an election, I'm a Viet Cong" is a powerful statement of alienation and protest against a system that feels fundamentally flawed, leading to a pledge "against the flag / And the fall for which it stands." This defiance signals a profound rejection of the current state of affairs. Ultimately, the lyrics resonate because they capture a feeling of profound unease and a loss of faith in established systems. The recurring chorus, "Soldiers have their sorrow / The wretched have their rage / Pray for the aged / It's the dawn of another age," acts as a somber refrain. It acknowledges the suffering of different groups and offers a plea for the elderly, perhaps as repositories of wisdom or victims of time, while ominously proclaiming the arrival of a new era. This new age is not presented as progress but as a continuation of conflict and disillusionment, leaving the listener with a sense of foreboding and a question about what this "another age" truly entails.