Comments: 11

• Monkeyman from NoI think that the song is about how the world will be destroyed itself. If we continue fighting each other and make our weapons stronger, eventually we will destroy ourselves. We have fought each other over stupid things since the 'beginning' of time, and that could be our 'end.' The song feels even more like this in the Watchmen version. There are also many lines that hint at this like, "We can watch the world devour in it's pain" and "Crashing down undone," but really, if you listen to them all together, or just read them, it becomes clear that at the very least the song is about the end of the world.
• Jon from SimrishamnHello! my name is Jon, and I´m a 35-year-old guy from the South of Sweden. Obviously English is not my native language so I hope my English is good enough for you to understand. Of course it´s difficult to know what a song is truly about when you don't have access to the primary source, and believe you me: I´ve beaten myself over the head (not literally) trying to figure out what this song is about, or even harder, trying to figure out how someone very near to my heart might have interpreted it. I'm about to tell you a story involving this song that someone may find upsetting. And you are right it is a dark, upsetting and somewhat eerie story about something that occurred to me one year ago today. Therefore I issue a WARNING (!!!), for the faint of heart, I strongly advise you NOT TO READ any further!
  
  The story centers around my dad, a very positive, happy and joy-spreading guy (in the older days - that is). He was somewhat of a goof, acting like the class clown, and always liked to joke and make people laugh. But strangely that all gradually stopped as he was getting older, and the rest of the family, my mom and my sisters, have no idea what caused this, and he never did tell us! That´s what's so strange!That will surely be a mystery for a long time to come, if not for eternity. And this spell of melancholia and sadness went on for seven years, and we never did get any answers. His temper started changing, as he got more and more irritable over the years. As a result of all this he developed a substance/alcohol problem. He became a drunk but he was never abusive and he never got physical like the typical violent drunken dads you read about. Of course I'm not saying all drunken dads are abusive and violent, but obviously there´s a greater risk for them resorting to violence, whilst being drunk and mentally unstable. He was a wonderful person the days he felt somewhat good and the days he didn't drink. Otherwise he could be mean, but like I said, never abusive! We all loved him dearly, and it was very difficult for all of us to sit by and watch the man we all loved so much turning into this inconsolable melancholic mess. We tried to send him to different psychiatrists and recovery programs but nothing helped and he always kept falling off the wagon. Of course I knew that he had developed some kind of mental illness, and there have been countless nights where I´ve comforted him so he could sleep. He kept saying he was a bad father due to to him being "absent" (he was not physically absent, but he spent several years just lying on the couch in complete apathy), but I kept reiterating that he's been a wonderful father to all of us, which he has! That made him happy, but the happiness was always fleeting. It never lasted long. Just long enough for him to fall asleep. Now you're probably wondering: what has all of this got to do with this song. I will get to that. My father was a music lover and he listened to all the good stuff like Leonard Cohen, The Rolling Stones, Cat Stevens, Dire Straits; well the list runs long! One year ago today I spent the night in his apartment, cause he needed company and he was an emotional wreck! I comforted him (as always) before he fell asleep! The next morning he asked if me if I could introduce him to a song I thought he'd really like. And this is where this song enters the story. I'm a big Smashing Pumpkins fan!Especially their later work, and I´ve always loved this song! He told me to put it on and we listened to it many times together, and at one point he just paused and said: "I love this song so much. This song really speaks to me!" At first I didn't think anything of it, and went to the university. Before I left I told him that I loved him and shut the door. I actually had a big test coming up that day so I went off to school. But something just felt wrong and I kept thinking about the remarks he left regarding this song. I actually googled the lyrics and when I did my heart just started racing! Something was telling me something awful had happened so I rushed home - fearing the worst. I opened the door to my dad´s apartment and found him hanging from the ceiling - with this song on repeat. I´ve always loved this song but this song will seriously haunt me for the rest of my life. It was like he was telling me indirectly what was about to happen when he left those remarks regarding the song. And now in retrospect I blame myself for not making the connection earlier! Nevertheless I now have a deep emotional bond to this song, and today I'm listening to it on repeat in honour of him - not to make myself feel bad. For those of you who've read this story; sorry if I made you feel bad, uncomfortable or left you with a sense of distaste. That has never been my intention with this story. I just felt like I needed to vent on this day, exactly one year after.
• Devin from Hampton, NjI agree with Mohammed. Or I think it's at least about how the world has gone to hell and pretty soon there won't be anything left because the world (or the world leaders) will destroy itself (with or without nuclear war).
• Axel from Salmon Arm, BcI'm not sure about the Batman and Robin version, but when I listen to the Watchmen version and think about what the story is about, I think that song is about someone who finds it hard to save the world when the world keeps putting itself in trouble.
  
  AKA, there always seems to pop up more and more villains and despite the view people might have about Superheros, they are Flesh and Blood and have feelings just like the rest of the world.
• Mohammed from London, United KingdomI think the Watchmen version talks about nuclear war. You can tell by the lyrics
  
  "For now we stand alone
  The world is lost and blown
  And we are flesh and blood disintegrate
  With no more to hate"
  
  and...
  
  "Is it bright where you are
  Have the people changed
  Does it make you happy you're so strange
  And in your darkest hour
  I hold secrets flame
  We can watch the world devoured in it's pain"
• Liam from Blairstown, NjIt's not in the watchmen trailer. The watchmen trailer song is "The beginning is the End is the Beginning", which is slower.
• Alex from Austin, TxThis song is used in the new Watchmen trailer
• Aaron from Des Moines, IaBilly Corgan said of the song,
  
  " I found myself going, 'I can't write a song about Batman, I'm in an alternative band.' And I thought, this is stupid, if I can write a song about Batman and it serves the purpose, which is to make it happen and connect with the movie, and connect with something that is unique and original, then, why not? For me, it was a great kind of artistic thing to do because it was very freeing. I wasn't talking about myself or trying to represent the Smashing Pumpkins. I was trying to represent Batman.[1] "
  
• Charles from Diamond Bar, Cawell if you listen to it and imagine the town is singing it to batman and sometimes robin then to me the several meanings become clear
• Fremont from Concord, NhI'm guessing that it's about Batman And Robin... considering what soundtrack it's on.
• Michael from Sydney, Australiadoes anyone know what this song is about

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