Cold War

Cold War
Written by Tommy Shaw
Lead Vocals by Tommy Shaw

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I'm tired of your psychology
To bring me to my bended knees
And if I could only talk to you
I'm sure that I could make you see

'Cause time has a way
Of bringing even mountains down, down, down
Storm clouds are coming
I suggest you head for higher ground

I say you're a thing of the past
And you ain't gonna last
No matter what you say or do
It's all caught up to you

You're duty-free, you're tax-exempt
You party with the President
And you dance the dance so naturally
Why not believe you're heaven-sent

But time has a way of bringing
Even mountains down, down, down
There's a storm cloud a-comin'
I insist you head for higher ground

You talk talk and you get so intense
That you almost make sense
And that's what scares me the most

You have the host of celebrity lies
It's prime time, baby
Can't you see in my eyes, it's a

Cold war
Running in the streets
Everybody you meet knows
It's going down, don't you know

Cold war
Blowing in the air
Everyone everywhere says it's time
To get ready for a cold war

Don't you look now
But the skinny boy's becoming a man

You say it's the luck of the draw
And you can't have it all
And I'll die young trying to make it
Into something that ain't gonna last
You ought to reconsider
'Cause I'm coming fast with a

Cold war
Running in the streets
Everybody you meet
Know's it's going down, don't you know

Cold war
Blood is in the air
Everyone everywhere says
It's time to get ready for a 

Cold war
Looking at me
From behind every tree
There's a scared man running from a

Cold war
Don't you look now
But the skinny boy's a street fighting man

[extra verses sung in concert during the Kilroy tour:]
Try as you will, you can't escape the chill
that penetrates your clothing,
demanding that you feel
all the trouble that surrounds you,
the bad mixed with the good,
the heartless bits of data waiting to be understood
Information Central promptly processed your request,
the task we're told honestly requires you acquiesce.

Well, blind faith put you where you are now
You're a selfish old cow gettin' high on society's milk.
We pay your bills, life should be so tough.
You'd better watch your fat ass, 'cause we've had enough!

Interpretation

From the album liner notes:

THE PAST
Dr. Everett Righteous, founder and leader of the MMM, (The Majority for Musical Morality) became influential in American politics through the use of his own cable T.V. network. He spoke about the evils of rock 'n' roll music, and how its permissive attitudes were responsible for the moral and economic decline of America. He was charismatic, entertaining, and above all, he understood the media. The MMM soon gained enough power to have rock 'n' roll banned.

Robert Orin Charles Kilroy was a world famous rock 'n' roll star. As this new law was passed, Kilroy and his band were finishing a national tour. Their last performance, at the Paradise Theatre, would serve as the test case. On the night of the concert, as Kilroy played to a packed house, the MMM marched in and stormed the stage. When it was over, a MMM protester was dead...Kilroy was convicted of murder and sent to a prison ship with other rock 'n' roll misfits...

THE PRESENT
...is a future where Japanese manufactured robots, designed to work cheaply and endlessly, are the caretakers of society. "Mr. Robotos" are everywhere, serving as manual labor in jobs that were once held by humans.

Dr. Righteous enforces his own morality by holding nightly rallies where crowds hurl rock 'n' roll records and electric guitars into huge bonfires...Jonathan Chance, the rebel leader of an underground movement to bring back rock 'n' roll, has made Kilroy the symbol of his cause. Meanwhile, Kilroy has spent a number of years in prison. With no hope of release, he is subjected to the humiliation of mind control via the MMM cable network. In an attempt to contact Kilroy, Jonathan jams the airwaves of the MMM network, replacing a mind control session with outlawed footage of a Kilroy concert.

Interpretation 

Kilroy Was Here was released in 1983, when the Cold War (1947-1991) still raged between the USA and USSR. It was not a direct conflict on a battlefield but a geopolitical struggle via proxy wars, espionage, and political maneuvering. The term "cold war" was coined by George Orwell to describe the conflict at its onset. Orwell was also author of the classic dystopian novel 1984, in which the population was controlled through an ongoing intense propaganda campaign.

In the Kilroy was here story, Jonathan Chance and his friends are part of a cold war of sorts. The MMM, led by Dr. Righteous is manipulating politicians by using propaganda to influence voter opinions. Framing Kilroy for murder was their coup de gras. The rising resistance will have to find ways to counter the propaganda and expose the truth.