The Lebanon

Song Meaning

The lyrics immediately plunge into a world torn between a peaceful past and a violent present. A woman dreams of "1969 before the soldiers came," only to be jolted awake by "screams of rockets." This stark contrast sets up a central, unanswered question: "who will have won when the soldiers have gone?" The emotional core lies in this lost innocence. The woman remembers a time when "life was cheap on bread and wine" and "sharing meant no shame," a stark counterpoint to her current fear "that she might die." Her desperate clinging "onto her dreams" highlights the fragility of hope amidst chaos. The perspective then shifts to a soldier, revealing the conflict's broader impact. He scans a landscape where "shops" are now sniper hides, a chilling transformation of the mundane. His disillusionment is palpable, having believed he'd "be like the police" but now finding himself "at war," questioning, "Weren't we supposed to keep the peace?" This rhetorical query underscores the profound moral ambiguity. The repeated chorus, "And who will have won when the soldiers have gone from the Lebanon?", along with the bridge's desperate refrain, "I must be dreaming, it can't be true," amplifies the sense of futility and disbelief. The lyrics effectively use these direct questions and expressions of shock to convey the deep human cost and the bewildering nature of conflict, leaving the listener with an unsettling, unresolved feeling.