The Watchmen
Better Dead Than Red Lyrics


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Oh we are the vanguard, into glory we ride
The seekers of light in an endless night
As they construct a truth from lies
We are the ones who fight for the other side
A day will come for rapture
We should not be surprised
Some will try to save the generation of sin
Forever the watchmen

We are the watchmen 3X

Some they say there will come a day
We will reap the horrors of our sins
Look around, open your eyes, those horrors are here my friend
Day will come for rapture
And we should not be surprised
Some will try and save the generation of sin
Forever the watchmen

Oh we are the vanguard, into glory we ride
The seekers of light in an endless night
As they construct a truth from lies
We are the ones who fight for the other side
Oh we are the watchmen





We are the watchmen 3X

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Better Dead Than Red's song The Watchmen speaks of a group of people who declare themselves as the watchmen, the ones who fight for justice and truth against the lies constructed by society. They ride into glory as seekers of light in an endless night. The song portrays a sense of hopelessness and despair in the present state of society, where sins reap horrors and the future is unpredictable. The watchmen are the ones who will fight for the generation of sin and are always on guard to save it. It brings forth the message that the fight for truth and justice is never-ending and is a battle that requires constant vigilance.


The song is a reflection of the band’s political ideologies and beliefs. The band, Better Dead Than Red, was formed in Berkeley, California, in the early 1980s and was known for its revolutionary anarchist stance. The members of the band were activists against imperialism and anti-communist beliefs. The Watchmen was one of their most popular tracks that spoke of their staunch anti-establishment views. The song was released in 1984 as part of their self-released album titled “Marx Was Wrong” and was later included in the “Victims of a Bomb Raid” compilation of punk songs.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh we are the vanguard, into glory we ride
We are the leaders and pioneers, charging ahead towards success


The seekers of light in an endless night
We strive for hope and positivity in times of darkness and despair


As they construct a truth from lies
Others may fabricate false realities, but we uphold the truth


We are the ones who fight for the other side
We are the ones who stand up for the marginalized and oppressed


A day will come for rapture
There will come a day of reckoning and enlightenment


We should not be surprised
We should be prepared for the consequences of our actions


Some will try to save the generation of sin
Others may attempt to redeem those who have fallen into sinful ways


Forever the watchmen
We will always be vigilant and keep watch over those in need


Some they say there will come a day
There are those who predict a future event


We will reap the horrors of our sins
We will face the consequences of our wrongdoings


Look around, open your eyes, those horrors are here my friend
The terrible consequences of our actions are already present and observable


Oh we are the watchmen
We are the guardians and protectors of those in need


We are the watchmen 3X
We emphasize that we will always remain vigilant and watchful over others




Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@mcfail3450

Also most of them were pretty much useless for his plans.

He realized that super powers win fights but they can't really control or fight the big issues. Except for Dr. Manhattan.

In the end Ozzy didn't use any of his own powers to fulfill his plan.

He used Manhattan's powers and even then only to accomplish the same effect that human made bombs could. He could have just used bombs but he needed Manhatten as a scapegoat for the plan to work.

That's why I love this movie. It's so realistic and practical.



@heymeng4667

"Even Dr. Manhattan can't be everywhere at once"-Adrian Veidt

There simply are too many nukes.  Nuclear stockpiles for each of the two superpowers during the Cold War numbered in the thousands.  That's why Adrian says that even if he stops 98% of them, the 2% that slips through can still wipe out the planet.

Also, Dr. Manhattan was working for the U.S government as one of two officially licensed "masks", the other one being The Comedian.  This means that he was in Nixon's pocket before he exiled himself to Mars and any action done by Manhattan could've sparked a third World War.  On top of that, he was becoming increasingly detached and apathetic towards humanity anyways.  That's why he couldn't just turn them to flowers.

About his control of time, he can see his own past, present, and future.  He can't see humanity's future as a whole if he is not involved somehow.  Not only that, he has a very linear perspective of time itself.  Everything in the timestream has to fit a pattern in a certain order: like a pocket watch.  He doesn't take into consideration any variables that might change the outcome along the timeline.  Since he wants to prevent any unraveling in time that might change the order of things, he decides to observe and not interfere in it.  This could be considered a weakness and one that Veidt exploited successfully.  

In sum: I don't think there is a plot hole.



@heymeng4667

In terms of "could", well yes.  You are right.  Dr. Manhattan is all powerful.  There is really nothing he can't do.  But (and this is a big BUT), Dr. Manhattan is limited by his own perspective of time and the intrinsic composition of the very fabrics that make up "existence".  His linear view of time is intertwined with his determinism brought about by his ability to see past, present and future.  This is something that Veidt knew and exploited, outsmarting the most powerful entity in the universe.  

Dr. Manhattan can do anything, but if that something is not part of the future that he sees, he won't risk altering the timeline.  Like I said, he sees everything as parts of a whole: similar to the mechanisms of a pocket watch.  Because of his "blindness" throughout the story (thanks to Veidt's tachyon generating), he could see, for example, that someone was going to die in the snow, but not that it was Rorschach.  The Tachyons led him to believe that nuclear annihilation was inevitable and unpreventable because it was part of the Earth's future.  He could do something, but he wouldn't.  Two quotes of Manhattan's that really encapsulates his view are these:

"We're all puppets, Laurie. I'm just a puppet who can see the strings."

"Everything is preordained. Even my responses."   

  



@BigMac8000

Probably thousands of man hours, some of which were likely Ozy's personal time and expertise. It might look like a humble map, but whatever data he had on it would've been painstakingly vetted, coordinated, and simplified to one... perfect... map.

The real kick in the teeth though was that he was right. They could fix the crime in the U.S., but not the war in the world. The watchmen wouldn't be enough.

Ozy was wrong, or at least only partially right, but the reason he killed the Comedian first was because he could see it. The Comedian was the first person who'd get the joke. Sure, he beat Veidt once in a fight, sure he burned his map, sure he was crass and maybe, just maybe, the Comedian could've been the one to lead the whole group...

But the worst was that he was right, and he outsmarted Veidt, despite probably never having read a book in his life. Just the newspaper. Laughing.

Ozymandias's namesake comes from the poem which ends, "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'"

Veidt might've even have had the same conclusion the Comedian did. That they wouldn't be enough. Or worse and more likely - he truly believed he could make something that'd outstrip time.

But the Comedian took the punchline and didn't doubt it for a minute.

It's funny, because the original watchmen were called the minutemen - always buying minutes from inevitable destruction, never stopping it altogether. It's why the Comedian thought it was a joke.



@onemoremisfit

Nobody:



Will it fit in my Honda?
Hold my beer
Am I a joke to you?
Asking for a friend
Everybody gangsta
End this man’s whole career
He protecc, he attacc …
Sexual/genitalia innuendo
Scatological/potty joke
Question of quantity answered yes
Plot twist
Left/entered the chat
Gaming reference
Dislikes are from
I’m a simple man
Not gonna lie
Last time I was this early
Legend has it
That’ll buff right out
Fun fact
(X) be like
(X) intensifies
(X) wants to know your location
YT algorithm counting down years
Who’s watching in current year?
So you've chosen death?
Punch line below read more



All comments from YouTube:

@louche2388

We all know the real reason Veidt killed Blake: he burned his map

@genadymitov6176

+No Face YES :D

@sophiawilson8696

LOL

@Wattothejunkdealer

he got triggered

@samuelw01

*35 minutes ago.

@ventroxii561

Ozy: don’t cross between a man and his god damn map

38 More Replies...

@Asskickingness2014

Joker: "it's all a bad joke"
Comedian: "I'm listening"

@LordProteus

Joker: "It's all a bad joke"
Comedian: "I'm listening."
immediately grabs The Joker and shoots him in the brain three times with his gun up through his jaw
Comedian: "Just kiddin', I know what joke you're talkin' about."
extinguishes his cigar on The Joker's forehead and leaves

@blackheartscars

thats overkill lol

@babypanthersjr

Joker; "You want to know how I got these scars?"
Comedian; "No."

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