Iraq - Devils & Dust

[jenk]

How would you try to portray what it's like to be on the ground in Iraq? Garry Trudeau has tackled it in Doonesbury. Now Bruce Springsteen takes a turn. Bruce paces the music, delivering lines at a deliberate pace, leading you from thought to thought.

I got my finger on the trigger
But I don't know who to trust
I look into your eyes
There's just devils and dust
We're a long, long way from home, Bob
Home's a long, long way from us
I feel a dirty wind blowing
Devils and dust

Got God on my side
And I'm just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive kills the things you love
Fear's a powerful thing
It can turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils & dust

The chorus changes over time, becoming plural and then singular again. Fear becomes dangerous, not just powerful. But the rest stays the same.

I don't think "What if what you do to survive kills the things you love" has any easy answers. But it's a damn good question to be asking right now.

I'm still musing over the interplay between "devils" and "God on my side". According to America's leaders God is on our side in Iraq - and I think we've all heard "ain't no atheists in a foxhole". The devils, thus, are the enemy. But the song doesn't talk about human enemies, other than "don't know who to trust" . The song talks about fear. Fear has been called a demon - literally and figuratively. Fear of death, fear of killing the wrong person, fear of capture, fear of taking people's freedom instead of restoring it. There's loneliness, alienation, pain, battle fatigue...more devils? There's the devilish trick of following orders in a chaotic situation.

I think there's a reason for "Fear [will] take your God filled soul / Fill it with devils & dust".

I also want to quote the last verse, but I'm not sure what to say about it at this point...anyway, you can read the complete lyrics if you want.