If you do a quick search you will see that there a lot of people who have theorized as to the meaning of this song. Scouring their viewpoints is downright fascinating. The range of meanings serves as a conjuring of imagination and realization of self-reflection. So much of this song’s interpretation depends on who, and where you are as a person, when you hear it. The double entendres are what creates its mystical appeal.
“Girl in the War” speaks of a conversation between two men,
Peter and Paul, as Peter struggles with what actions to take as he witness
someone (something?) he loves slowly being taken away from him. She is on the
edge of extinction; he is struggling to save her, and trying to figure out by
what means or extremes he should go to accomplish it.
He questions if it is a karmic revenge that he is reaping as the result of an unknown sin. He wonders if the philosophies that have piloted his life are what have led to this war. The war he is speaking of remains a bitter mystery.
Is this an anti-war song, cleverly evoking the imagery of the “homeland” as the “she” being referred to? Are these the tragic confessions of a man whose “girl” is battling a war against an ailment, an illness that he is powerless to save her from?
Every time you hear it, a new revelation can be deciphered as to its meaning. Either of these possible scenarios or another one you might come upon, is further proof of the indelible use of words that Ritter uses to describe abstract, and yet profoundly personal confessions.
He questions if it is a karmic revenge that he is reaping as the result of an unknown sin. He wonders if the philosophies that have piloted his life are what have led to this war. The war he is speaking of remains a bitter mystery.
Is this an anti-war song, cleverly evoking the imagery of the “homeland” as the “she” being referred to? Are these the tragic confessions of a man whose “girl” is battling a war against an ailment, an illness that he is powerless to save her from?
Every time you hear it, a new revelation can be deciphered as to its meaning. Either of these possible scenarios or another one you might come upon, is further proof of the indelible use of words that Ritter uses to describe abstract, and yet profoundly personal confessions.
This song also features an enchanting musical interlude,
as the gentle twinkling of what sounds like a mandolin courses through the song
like oxygen to what has been a breathless experience. The closing lyrics “But I
got a girl in the war Paul her eyes are like champagne/ They sparkle bubble over
and in the morning all you got is rain” is a possible insight leaning you
closer to an explanation, all the while guiding you towards another.
Having listened to this song countless times, one thing can clearly be gleaned; this song is a war unto itself.
Having listened to this song countless times, one thing can clearly be gleaned; this song is a war unto itself.
Special thanks to my sister, Chelsea, for getting me into this song in the
first place.
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