Us and Them

Tonight, my cousin said that "Us and Them," from The Dark Side of the Moon, was, "...my favorite Pink Floyd song. So, so beautiful."

My reply was...

Mine too. It's a beautiful song about an officer in war. He stands with his troops during the battles, with the cannon fodder taking the brunt of the casualties. "'Forward,' he cried, from the [relative safety of the] rear, and the front rank died."

The generals weren't even near the fighting. "The general sat while the lines on the map moved from side to side."

The war was futile. "In the end it's only round and round."

Then the officer becomes a recruiter with the battle call...
"Haven't you heard it's a battle of words?"

And he recruits new enlistees for war.
"'Listen, son,' said the man with the gun, 'there's room for you inside.'"

And, before you know it, the war's long over and the old officer is forgotten and homeless, dying on the street. "For want of the price of tea and a slice, the old man died."

That's my take on this song.