Ladyhawk's core is bracing rock. Neil Young's Tonight's The Night is the hailstorm on the hood of The Replacements Let It Be, while distorted guitars invoke the thread and swerve of Silkworm and Dinosaur Jr. Helped along the way by Amber Webber (vocals) and Josh Wells (percussion, organ, singing) of Black Mountain, it will be hard to find a more hauntingly beautiful set of rock music than this debut. It was recorded and mixed, with the help of Black Mountaineers Wells and Matthew Camirand, in the "Karachi Vice" clubhouse, in the back of a furniture factory, amongst chicken and fish processing plants. With some of the more "inexpensive" ladies of the night scattered about, it captures the bottlenecked frenzy of their much-loved live show. There, each night, these grown-up kids at heart fall over, get right back up, cry on shoulders and fold the day in halves, watching the sun come up over the dashboard.
War
Ladyhawk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There in the beat of the streets of the summers.
Going alone, it's a suicide mission.
Could you be happy with anything else?
Start a war if you want to,
No, don't just tag along, start a war if you want to.
Men of the world, see the city walls crumble.
Run for the cover of bunkers and basements,
Long empty hours, the fate of the capture,
Could you be happy with anything else?
No, don't just tag along,
Start a war if you want to,
No, don't just tag along, start a war if you want to.
No sirens call, and no bombs should fall,
We'll lay down my arms, in false alarm.
No soldiers die, and no babies cry,
We'll lay my head, and off to bed.
Oh don't just tag along,
Start a war if you want to,
No, don't just tag along, start a war if you want to.
The lyrics of Ladyhawk's song War suggest a sense of rebellion, a call for action and a push to take control of our own destiny. It seems to convey a message of being dissatisfied with the status quo and a yearning for change. The opening line "men of the world, hear the drums in the distance", hints at a coming conflict or a battle that is brewing. The beat of the streets could be symbolic of the movement towards change, and the summers signify a time of hope and possibility. However, the song takes a dark turn with the line "Going alone, it's a suicide mission". This could suggest that those who choose to take action and start a war may be putting themselves in danger, but they believe that it is a risk worth taking. The lyrics repeat the phrase "Could you be happy with anything else?" which seems to question whether remaining passive and accepting things as they are is a viable option.
The song also touches on the aftermath of war, with the line "long empty hours, the fate of the capture". This could suggest the loneliness and isolation that comes with fighting for a cause. The chorus is a powerful statement, urging people not to simply follow others, but to take the lead and start a war if they believe in something strongly enough. The lyrics "no sirens call, and no bombs should fall, we'll lay down my arms, in false alarm" seem to suggest that violence isn't the ultimate solution, and that sometimes, there is a need to compromise and find a peaceful resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
Men of the world, hear the drums in the distance.
The sound of the streets in the summer, a beat that can be both beckoning and threatening.
There in the beat of the streets of the summers.
The beat of the pounding drums of summer provide a siren call to take action.
Going alone, it's a suicide mission.
Taking action requires courage, and doing so alone can be daunting and dangerous.
Could you be happy with anything else?
Is a life without risk or action truly fulfilling?
Oh don't just tag along,
Don't settle for being passive, simply going along with what's happening.
Start a war if you want to,
If you're going to take action, do it boldly and with conviction, even if it feels like a battle.
Men of the world, see the city walls crumble.
The world is changing, and the old guards may fall.
Run for the cover of bunkers and basements,
Fear can drive one to seek safety, but safety is not always found in hiding.
Long empty hours, the fate of the capture,
Being trapped can feel like a prison with hours that seem to never end.
No sirens call, and no bombs should fall,
In an ideal world, there would be no violence, no threat to safety.
We'll lay down my arms, in false alarm.
Sometimes the call to action can be muted by false alarms or empty threats, leading to complacency.
No soldiers die, and no babies cry,
An ideal outcome would be one where no one suffers as a result of conflict.
We'll lay my head, and off to bed.
Peaceful rest can be elusive, but it's important to seek it out if and when it can be found.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.