This was, hands down, one of my favorite songs when I was growing up. This song captured the spirit of the times, when society seemed to be spiraling toward total breakdown and chaos and states squandered human and material resources on endless warfare. It was a period that did not inspire much confidence in political leadership or in the future. This song speaks to the sense of hopelessness and futility that many people have in their lives if they cannot see beyond the bookends of birth and death.
Another song that explored the theme of wisdom being silenced by fools was this popular song by Simon and Garfunkel:
As you can see, I was a very deep, if not melancholy, child (lol). I grew up in a time when we were afraid that truthful witness would be swallowed up in commercial absurdity. That sense that futility might triumph over meaning may not have been very different from any other period of history, really. Both of these songs mention the suppression of the words of "prophets". Both songs mention the all-pervasive "silence" that envelopes meaningful expression. It seems to me that people without faith, without hope and without love still live with the fear that meaning will be swallowed up by silence.
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