Feed the Enemy
Magazine Lyrics
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There's been a plane crash out there
In the wheatfields they're picking up the pieces
We could go and look and stare
How many friends have we over there?
The border guards fight unconvincingly
Whatever we do it seems things are arranged
You could dance for me
And punch me through
You could dance for me
And punch me through
You could dance for me
And punch me through
You could dance for me
And punch me through
We watched them trash the last camera
Glued to all our TV's
The actors on the replay
Trying again to touch you and me
But they always seem to know
Exactly what they're talking about
They must've got you in a corner
You've got no room to move
You've got no room for doubt
That's exactly what they're talking about
They must've got you in a corner
No room to move
No room for doubt
The song “Feed the Enemy” by Magazine is a commentary on the geopolitical and societal situation of the time, with the lyrics portraying the confusion and frustration felt by its author. The opening lines, “It's always raining over the border, there's been a plane crash out there, in the wheatfields they're picking up the pieces, we could go and look and stare,” suggest a sense of helplessness and detachment from the events happening around them. The following lines highlight this sense of isolation by posing the rhetorical question, “how many friends have we over there?,” conveying the author’s feeling of being disconnected from the world at large.
The ideas of conflict and fighting are further explored in the line “border guards fight unconvincingly,” which could be seen as questioning the efficacy of those in power to deal with issues at hand. The author then touches on the idea that there is a certain comfort in knowing the enemy, symbolised by the line “we always have to feed the enemy”. The last stanza evokes images of discontent and frustration, drawing attention to the feeling of being trapped and cornered, with “no room to move, no room for doubt”. The evocative lyrics of “Feed the Enemy” compel listeners to ponder over the conflicts and strife of the world we live in today.
Line by Line Meaning
It's always raining over the border
The border is a place of constant turmoil and strife.
There's been a plane crash out there
Danger and disaster are commonplace at the border.
In the wheatfields they're picking up the pieces
The consequences of conflict are visible in the wreckage of the crash.
We could go and look and stare
Even in the face of such violence and tragedy, there is a compulsion to witness and observe.
How many friends have we over there?
The border is a place of personal connections and relationships that are endangered by conflict.
The border guards fight unconvincingly
The guards tasked with keeping the peace are ill-equipped and ineffective.
Whatever we do it seems things are arranged
The fate of the border is predetermined, no matter what we try to do to change it.
We always have to feed the enemy
The cycle of violence and conflict is perpetuated by both sides, leading to a situation in which enemies must coexist and provide for one another.
You could dance for me And punch me through
The conflict is not just external and structural, but also internal and emotional, creating a sense of confusion and contradiction in those caught in the middle.
We watched them trash the last camera
Efforts to document or understand the situation are violently quashed by those in power.
Glued to all our TV's
The media perpetuates a culture of voyeurism and spectacle around the conflicts at the border.
The actors on the replay Trying again to touch you and me
The media attempts to manipulate and control public opinion on the struggles at the border, using images and narratives that are designed to induce an emotional response.
But they always seem to know Exactly what they're talking about
The narratives pushed by the media and those in power are often false and manipulative, but they are presented as authoritative and truthful.
They must've got you in a corner You've got no room to move You've got no room for doubt That's exactly what they're talking about They must've got you in a corner No room to move No room for doubt
The power structures at the border create a sense of confinement and entrapment, both physical and existential, which seems to leave no possibility for escape or change.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Mute Song Limited
Written by: DAVID TOMLINSON, HOWARD DEVOTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind