Us and Them
Dweezil Zappa & John Wetton Lyrics
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And after all we're only ordinary men.
Me and you.
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do.
Forward he cried from the rear
And the front rank died.
And the general sat and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side.
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside.
"i mean, they're not gunna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
Sharp, shock, they won't do it again. dig it? i mean he get off
Lightly, 'cos i would've given him a thrashing - i only hit him once!
It was only a difference of opinion, but really... i mean good manners
Don't cost nothing do they, eh?"
Down and out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
With, without.
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?
Out of the way, it's a busy day
I've got things on my mind.
For the want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died.
The song 'Us and Them', performed by Dweezil Zappa and John Wetton, is an insight into human behavior and the effects it has on society. The opening lines set the tone of the song and suggest that despite the differences between 'us' and 'them,' at the end of the day, we are all 'only ordinary men.' The lines 'God only knows it's not what we would choose to do' indicate that the choices we make are often influenced by external factors or circumstances.
The second verse describes the atrocities of war, whereby the 'rear' makes decisions that affect the 'front rank.' The 'general' sits and watches the impact of the war while the 'lines on the map move from side to side.' These lines suggest that the decisions made by people in power have a significant impact on the lives of ordinary people. The lines 'black and blue, and who knows which is which and who is who' are a commentary on the confusion caused by war and how, in the chaos of war, people lose the ability to differentiate between good and evil.
The third verse deals with the idea that often, conflicts arise out of a mere 'difference of opinion.' The singer suggests that disagreements could be solved with good manners and communication rather than aggression. The final lines of the song describe how poverty could lead to death and suffering, with the 'old man' dying due to the simple lack of 'the price of tea and a slice.'
Line by Line Meaning
Us and them
There's a division between groups of people
And after all we're only ordinary men.
Both sides are just made up of regular people
Me and you.
The singer and the person they're addressing
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do.
Neither side wants to be fighting
Forward he cried from the rear
Someone in charge is ordering others to fight
And the front rank died.
The people at the head of the attack were killed
And the general sat and the lines on the map
The person in charge is just watching the progress
Moved from side to side.
The borders and areas of control are changing
Black and blue
People are getting injured
And who knows which is which and who is who.
It's hard to tell who is on which side
Up and down.
The fighting goes back and forth
But in the end it's only round and round.
The fighting just repeats itself
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The disagreement started with verbal communication
The poster bearer cried.
Someone is promoting or advocating for their side
Listen son, said the man with the gun
Someone holding a weapon is trying to convince the singer to join them
There's room for you inside.
The artist could be part of their group
Down and out
Some people are struggling
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
There's a lot of poverty and hardship happening
With, without.
Some people have things and others don't
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?
The conflict is ultimately over resources and power
Out of the way, it's a busy day
People are busy and have places to be
I've got things on my mind.
The artist is preoccupied with their own concerns
For the want of the price of tea and a slice
An old man died because he couldn't afford basic needs
The old man died.
A person passed away due to lack of resources
Writer(s): Rick Wright, Roger Waters
Contributed by Nolan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.