Song Meaning
The lyrics paint a stark picture of a city that's a "dream" for some but feels oppressive and bleak, with "billboard horizons as black as they seem." This urban sprawl, characterized by a "four level highway," is presented as a grand construction project, a "home for the family of man." Yet, this ambitious building comes at a cost, with "prices are rising" and a sense of relentless effort, "moving the mountain that got in the way."
The central tension lies in the contrast between the aspirational goal of building for humanity and the harsh realities of progress. The narrator questions this direction, asking, "It's so hard, wherever are we coming to?" This sentiment is amplified by the feeling of immense pressure and limited time, "so little time / And so much to do." The lyrics suggest a frantic, perhaps unsustainable, pace of development.
The most striking element is the repeated, almost desperate, refrain of "So hard, family of man, so hard." This repetition transforms the initial grand vision into a lament. The act of "burning our bridges as soon as they're crossed" and replacing "memories" with new constructions highlights a destructive, forward-marching mentality that sacrifices the past. The phrase "factories built where the rivers ran" is a potent image of environmental and perhaps emotional desolation.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics comes from their grounded, almost weary, observation of societal progress. The narrator doesn't offer solutions but articulates a profound unease about the relentless drive to build and expand, questioning whether this relentless effort is truly serving the "family of man" or simply exhausting it. The final, drawn-out repetition of "so hard" leaves the listener with a lingering sense of struggle and doubt about the human project.
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