Although Rovics is not strongly associated with any particular political or ideological movement, his lyrics and recorded interviews encompass a wide range of left-wing, humanitarian interests. He has suggested a commonality or synthesis between these varied ideologies in several of his radio interviews, and cites his music as a means to disseminate these ideas. His provocative and catchy lyrics bring to mind a modern-day Woody Guthrie or Phil Ochs.
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Waiting For The Fall
David Rovics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ground rumbles
Apartment complex shakes
Just before it crumbles
Children scream and die
Wrong time, wrong place
A woman wears a shawl
That covers the scar upon her face
And prays to see the day
When the armies of the infidels
Will once more go away
And everybody's just
Waiting for the fall
Outside the Green Zone
Through the machine gun turrets
On the other side of the wall
The lights go out again
The city swelters in the heat
A thousand ghosts are weeping
Amid the pockmarked street
No food in the markets
You can't reap grain that you can't sow
A no-man's land the Red Cross
Doesn't dare to go
A soldier shoots at everything
Acting like the master race
All the while wondering
What he's doing in this place
And everybody's just
Waiting for the fall
Outside the Green Zone
Through the machine gun turrets
On the other side of the wall
No gas in the gas tanks
Lines a mile long
A nation turned to rubble
Where everything's gone wrong
Death squads roam the alleys
Looking for the eye
Of anyone who dares to say
A lie is just a lie
The torturers are torturing
In a prison cell
Flushing Korans down the toilet
Saying all praise be to Shell
And everybody's just
Waiting for the fall
Outside the Green Zone
Through the machine gun turrets
On the other side of the wall
Humvee fires
Someone fires back
A sound that lets you know
You're somewhere in Iraq
Surgeons with no medicine
Wonder what to do
And ask how things might be
If the outside world knew
And in an ivory tower in Texas
They're toasting the New Year
Not knowing there's a country
Far away from here
And everybody's just
Waiting for the fall
Outside the Green Zone
Through the machine gun turrets
On the other side of the wall
Where everybody's just…
In "Waiting For the Fall," David Rovics paints a harrowing picture of the grim reality faced by Iraqi civilians and soldiers alike during the United States' occupation of Iraq. The opening lines describe the horror of an impending missile attack, as missiles launched from helicopters cause the ground to rumble and an apartment complex to shake before collapsing entirely. Innocent children are caught in the crossfire, and a woman wearing a shawl to conceal a scar on her face becomes a symbol of the damage wrought by the ongoing conflict.
The song continues with a litany of other atrocities: street violence, food shortages, and infrastructure collapse, all juxtaposed against the indifference of those in power. A soldier struggles to reconcile his role in a conflict he doesn't understand. Death squads scour the alleys, looking to punish anyone who challenges the status quo. And in the final verse, Rovics skewers the powers that be, as politicians in Texas celebrate the New Year while a world away, the chaos they've unleashed continues to ravage Iraq.
Throughout "Waiting For the Fall," Rovics uses vivid and visceral language to draw attention to the human toll of war. The repetitive refrain of "waiting for the fall" underscores the sense of hopelessness and despair that permeates the song, as everyone involved seems to be biding their time until the inevitable collapse. Ultimately, the song mourns the senseless loss of life and decries the destructive nature of war itself.
Line by Line Meaning
Helicopter missiles launch
The start of an attack with missiles launched from helicopters
The ground rumbles
The earth shakes due to the explosion of missiles
Apartment complex shakes
The building for residents vibrated harshly upon being hit by the attack
Just before it crumbles
The building can fall any time due to the intensity of the attack
Children scream and die
Innocent children become victims of the cruel attack
Wrong time, wrong place
The children are at the wrong place at the wrong time and have to suffer the consequences
A woman wears a shawl
That covers the scar upon her face
A woman tries to hide her physical wound with her clothing, which indicates that she is affected by the attack too
A boy looks through a pool of blood
And prays to see the day
When the armies of the infidels
Will once more go away
A young boy has witnessed a terrible incident and wishes for a day when the enemy soldiers will leave and violence will end
And everybody's just
Waiting for the fall
Outside the Green Zone
Through the machine gun turrets
On the other side of the wall
The people of Iraq are waiting for the end of the war and the fall of those who are attacking them, while constantly fearing for their lives
The lights go out again
The city swelters in the heat
A thousand ghosts are weeping
Amid the pockmarked street
The city experiences another blackout and heatwave while the locals, old and new, mourn the casualties caused during the previous attack
No food in the markets
You can't reap grain that you can't sow
A no-man's land the Red Cross
Doesn't dare to go
The supply of food and nutrients is scarce, leaving the locals helpless and starving while even the humanitarian organizations can't help them due to the danger surrounding the area
A soldier shoots at everything
Acting like the master race
All the while wondering
What he's doing in this place
A soldier, convinced of his supremacy, shoots recklessly, without regard for human life, but is also questioning his involvement in the war
No gas in the gas tanks
Lines a mile long
A nation turned to rubble
Where everything's gone wrong
The country's infrastructure is in shambles, and its citizens, waiting for basic necessities or a chance at a better life, have to wait in long queues for most things
Death squads roam the alleys
Looking for an eye
Of anyone who dares to say
A lie is just a lie
Death squads are on the prowl, and anyone who speaks for justice or against the oppressors is considered a traitor and hunted down mercilessly
The torturers are torturing
In a prison cell
Flushing Korans down the toilet
Saying all praise be to Shell
The torturers have no humanity, and they resort to flushing religious scriptures down the toilet, eventually suggesting they support their actions
Humvee fires
Someone fires back
A sound that lets you know
You're somewhere in Iraq
Gunfire between the enemy and the defenders rings through the air, signifying the war and its atrocities
Surgeons with no medicine
Wonder what to do
And ask how things might be
If the outside world knew
Even the medical teams trying to save lives are working without the necessary resources and supplies, and they are wondering if the situation would be better if the rest of the world knew what's happening
And in an ivory tower in Texas
They're toasting the New Year
Not knowing there's a country
Far away from here
The most influential people, who are far away from the attack site and are living in luxury, are oblivious to the horrors in Iraq while they are celebrating the start of the New Year
Contributed by Owen A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.