08-18-2004, 04:27 PM
I don't think the NUMBER of dead matters. I believe this song was not inspired by conscious thoughts about the historical facts, it's definitely based on a dream or hallucination (depending on whether he was drinking or smoking!)
If, in a dream, you saw a sea covered in bodies, the humanity of the moment would supercede any actual factual numbers...there might be 1,189 bodies out there but you're overwhelmed by and think there must be ten thousand of them. The "facts" of the matter are as blurred as any subject in any great art...there's ALWAYS mitigating factors!
If, in a dream, you saw a sea covered in bodies, the humanity of the moment would supercede any actual factual numbers...there might be 1,189 bodies out there but you're overwhelmed by and think there must be ten thousand of them. The "facts" of the matter are as blurred as any subject in any great art...there's ALWAYS mitigating factors!