The old man is without, a beggar who doesn't even have the money to buy lunch. The man saying '.out of my way - on my mind.' is a man 'with', perhaps a buisnessman of some sort.

The '.With, Without.' in the line before is referring to money, the root of all the fighting. I've always interpreted the old man as a beggar, and the four lines a somber commentarty on how we treat our own people. Have always been the most touching in this song, and nobody else seems to see them the same way I always have. General CommentI love this song, and while it's about war, on a larger scale, it's about human nature in general. I believe the lyrics examines how we like to think of ourselves as individuals and how we truly act on a personal level. Yet, in our personal lives, our greed can blind us to the suffering of the needy within our own society with people dying for the price of tea and a slice. The greed of nations cause war and we can't deny that is what the fighting is all about. The “Down and Out” verse is the clincher that exposes one cruel aspect of human nature, greed. We like to think that as individuals we are called to war by our dehumanized leaders with their wicked words. The “Black and Blue” verse refers to how, from the beginning of time and until its end, individuals are drawn to congregate and called to war. The “Us and Them” verse refers to how groups (tribes) of humans can be cruel to one another, but as individuals we like to think we would not act this way. It's more about human nature, rather than the nature of war. However, I believe there is a more primal meaning to these words. Laid out before us by the artist so succinctly, yet so sublime.Īll of us can see the reference to the nature of war, its cruelty, and futility. General CommentTimeless poetry such as this has many levels of meaning. It can't be helped that there's a lot of it aboutĪnd who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?

I mean good manners don't cost nothing do they, eh?' I only hit him once! It was only a difference of opinion, but really I mean he get off lightly, 'cause I would've given him a thrashing So if you give 'em a quick short, sharp, shock It's not what we would choose (choose, choose) to do (to do, to do)Īnd who knows which is which and who is whoĪnd in the end it's only round 'n round (round, round, round) Us (us, us, us, us) and them (them, them, them, them)

Just the two of us song words