The Bravery of Being Out of Range
Roger Waters Lyrics

You have a natural tendency
You possess an innate inclination

To squeeze off a shot
To fire a gun indiscriminately

You're good fun at parties
You are entertaining at social gatherings

You wear the right masks
You present a façade that conforms to social norms

You're old but you still
You are advanced in years but nevertheless

Like a laugh in the locker room
You enjoy humor of a crude or vulgar nature

You can't abide change
You are intolerant of anything different from your accustomed routine

You're at home on the range
You feel comfortable and at ease in rural surroundings

You opened your suitcase
You displayed your luggage

Behind the old workings
At a location hidden from casual observation

To show off the magnum
To exhibit a large caliber handgun

You deafened the canyon
You caused a loud report that echoed throughout the landscape

A comfort a friend
A source of ease and familiarity

Only upstaged in the end
Surpassed in importance or attention eventually

By the Uzi machine gun
By a rapid-fire automatic weapon

Does the recoil remind you
Does the backward thrust provoke a recollection

Remind you of sex
Evoke a comparison to an erotic act

Old man what the hell you gonna kill next
Elderly gentleman, what do you intend to take the life of now?

Old timer who you gonna kill next
Person of advanced age, whom do you plan to murder next?

I looked over Jordan and what did I see
I gazed beyond the river Jordan and what became apparent to me

Saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris
Discerned a member of the US Marine Corps lying in wreckage

I swam in your pools
I immersed myself in your luxurious swimming facilities

And lay under your palm trees
And reclined in the shade of your exotic plants

I looked in the eyes of the Indian
I met the gaze of a Native American

Who lay on the Federal Building steps
Who lay prostrate on the steps of a government structure

And through the range finder over the hill
And thus gazed through an optical device beyond the hill

I saw the front line boys popping their pills
I witnessed soldiers at the front ingesting their medications

Sick of the mess they find
Weary of the chaos and turbulence they encounter

On their desert stage
On the barren expanse where they enact their conflict

And the bravery of being out of range
And feeling courageous as they avoid harm's way

Yeah the question is vexed
Yes, the issue remains debated and problematic

Hey bartender over here
Attention, bartender, please come to my position

Two more shots
Please provide two more measures of alcohol

And two more beers
And two further bottles or cans of beer

Sir turn up the TV sound
Attention, please increase the volume of the television

The war has started on the ground
The hostilities have commenced on the battlefield

Just love those laser guided bombs
I am quite fond of those explosives directed by lasers

They're really great
They are truly splendid

For righting wrongs
For correcting errors or injustices

You hit the target
You successfully struck your intended objective

And win the game
And thus emerge victorious

From bars 3,000 miles away
From a location far removed and isolated

We play the game
We engage in the conflict as if it were a game

We zap and maim
We shoot and injure the enemy

With the bravery of being out of range
Feeling daring and intrepid because we are not within the range of danger

We strafe the train
We attack the transport with gunfire from low-flying aircraft

We gain terrain
We advance and secure additional territory

With the bravery of being out of range
With the sensation of courage and boldness because we are not in harm's way

With the bravery of being out of range
With the impression of courage and daring due to being beyond the reach of harm

We play the game
We conduct the conflict as if it were a contest with rules and rewards