Album: Shuttered Room (1982)

Charted: 54 76

License This Song 

• Crying parents tell their children
  If you survive don't do as we did
  A son exclaims there'll be nothing to do to
  Her daughter says she'll be dead with you
  
  While foreign affairs are screwing rotten,
  Line morale has hit rock bottom
  
  Dying embers stand forgotten
  Talks of peace were being trodden
  
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  
  Is this the value of our existence
  Should we proclaim with such persistence
  Our destiny relies on conscience
  Red or blue, what's the difference
  
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  It's the Euro theatre
  It's the Euro theatre
  It's the Euro theatre
  
  An empty face reflects extinction
  Ugly scars divide the nation
  Desecrate the population
  There will be no exhaultation
  
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  Stand or fall, state your peace tonight
  It's the Euro theatre
  It's the Euro theatre
  It's the Euro theatre
  
  Stand or fall
  Stand or fall
  Stand or fall
  Stand or fall Writer/s: ADAM WOODS, CHARLES H BARRETT, CYRIL CURNIN, JAMES WEST-ORAM, PETER GREENALL
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 7

• Jf from UsI always assumed the song was about World War I, the horrible slaughter that chewed up soldiers like an insatiable beast. Horrific carnage without hope, trench warfare and unimaginable conditions. Gas, artillery, going over the top. The movie 1917 captures some of this, as does All Quiet on the Western Front. Line morale (the trench line) has hit rock bottom (remember that in 1917 the French soldiers began to mutiny at the senseless orders to charge to their deaths). The lyrics sound so much like that war.
• Lechef from ChicagoReleased in 1982, it’s about a fear of nearly everyone in Europe, a hot war between the Soviets (Red) and the NATO Alliance (Blue). It was a concern for many young people in Europe in the 80’s, as there was fairly constant tension, and the statements and policies of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, ramping up military spending and increasingly jingoistic. Short range nuclear missiles in West Germany, MX Missiles, “Star Wars” space lasers. Legitimate fear, as it turns out, because in 1983, we came close, twice, to nuclear exchanges. https://bit.ly/3ggt7xc
  
  The Euro Theater in this song is talking about continental Europe. Generally, Central Europe, from France in the West to Poland in the east.
  
  The songs lyrics, by virtue of being more impressionistic make it fairly timeless. My parents back in the 80’s might’ve told me not to do as their generation had done. Or really the generation before them, as my parents were hippies the whole 9. Our conversation would have been about a nuclear war, but you could just as easily see it being about global warming today. Or about internal strife. I’d like to think my brother would have the conversation with his kids about being more open to other people and seeking more justice for everyone. But whatever. It’s open to interpretation, but the Cold War was the thing at the time of the song.
  
  I LOVE the song for the music. But the lyrics are also close to my heart for their timeless nature.
• AnonymousI always assumed that this song was about the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The threat of nuclear war was an ever present possibility, with Europe caught in the middle. "Crying parents tell their children, If you survive don't do as we did, A son exclaims there'll be nothing to do to, Her daughter says she'll be dead with you." Sounds like nuclear war to me.
  
  The writer conveyed the futility and meaningless of it all with the line "Our destiny relies on conscience, red or blue, what's the difference."
  
  Recall that the song was released in 1982, a time of awakening in Europe, when many folks were getting tired of being caught in the middle between to nuclear superpowers.
• AnonymousWell it is indirectly referencing WW2.
  But ITS THE EURO THEATRE is in present tense.
  
  Red or blue what's the difference.
  
  US is divided into Red and blue states.
  
  And yes, when Europe rises again, which it will, with . . . well whaddyakno . . . Germany at the top. (Fourth largest Superpower on the planet. AGAIN.
  
  Again.
  
  It will indeed be stand or fall.
• Larry Young from 55079,mn.I just saw the Fixx Saturday, dec.21 in mpls at the cedar cultural center. a great show, the band was on point and never faltered giving us the songs we wanted to hear. thanks guys!
• Stephen from Temecula, Ca@Jim, I believe this song setting is in Europe during WWII. The Euro Theater is a term used to describe Europe which was being consumed by and involved in war. Stand or Fall is likely a reference to Hilter's march on the surrounding countries and how they either stood up to him or fell to his military power. The rest of the songs meaning takes off from there.
• Jim from Pleasant Hill, CaIs this song about anything specific, or just general notions of rebellion in Europe? I always thought they were saying "stand up for" (which didn't make sense) when I hadn't seen the title or lyrics. But the meaning is still elusive.

More Songfacts:

Dixie ChickenLittle Feat

The Dixie Chicks got their name from the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken." In 2020 they became "The Chicks" because Dixie refers to the American South in times of slavery.

Blowin' In The WindBob Dylan

In 1997, the Pope quoted the Bob Dylan song "Blowin' In The Wind."

Street Fighting ManThe Rolling Stones

Keith Richards did some studio alchemy on "Street Fighting Man," which is all acoustic except the bass.

RoyalsLorde

16-tear-old Lorde wrote the lyrics to "Royals" at home in just half an hour. She was inspired by the "ridiculous, unrelatable, unattainable opulence" that runs through such albums as Kanye West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne and Lana Del Rey's Born To Die.

Crazy In LoveBeyoncé

Jay-Z did the rap on "Crazy In Love" at the last minute. He and Beyoncé had started dating and the Texan songstress asked him to get on the song the night before she had to turn in her album.

KokomoThe Beach Boys

"Kokomo" gave The Beach Boys their first #1 hit in 22 years. They picked the title because it sounded tropical.

Editor's Picks

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.