So, as we know, the song Last Train to Clarksville turns 50 this year. To celebrate, Micky was in an interview and he was talking about Last Train to Clarksville being an anti war song.
But...the thing is...he's talking about it like we haven't already figured that out. And people are SURPRISED by the news.
How is this new information????
Here are the lyrics:
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Let's break it down, shall we?
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Verse One
Take the last train to Clarksville,
And I'll meet you at the station.
You can be be there by four thirty,
'Cause I made your reservation.
Don't be slow, oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
So, verse one is pretty simple. A man is being sent off to war, but is going to meet up with his girlfriend/wife the night before he's to go. He's telling her to hurry so they can spend as much time together as they can before he leaves.
Verse Two
'Cause I'm leavin' in the morning
And I must see you again
We'll have one more night together
'Til the morning brings my train.
And I must go, oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.
Again, the to-be soldier is leaving in the morning to be shipped off to the Vietnam War. He wants one last night with his lady before he has to leave. "And I must go, oh no, no, no!" symbolizes the fact that he doesn't want to leave. Why doesn't he want to leave? Because "I don't know if I'm ever coming home."
He's scared he's going to die in the Vietnam War and won't make it back home safe (as in, not in a freakin' casket) to his lady.
Verse Three
Take the last train to Clarksville.
I'll be waiting at the station.
We'll have time for coffee flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation.
Oh... Oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
So now, he's at the station. He's said goodbye to his lady, but it was a bit rushed because they don't have time for anything except "coffee flavored kisses" (cause y'know, the were probably up all night making the most of their last night together) and "a bit of conversation."
"Oh...Oh no, no no!" Notice that pause between the first and second 'Oh'? He's at the station and now, he's spotted the train coming. And his fear has spiked all over again because, shit, it's getting closer and closer and the moments left with his lady are numbered.
Verse Four
Take the last train to Clarksville,
Now I must hang up the phone.
I can't hear you in this noisy
Railroad station all alone.
I'm feelin' low. Oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.
Now he's saying goodbye to his lady for what he fears is probably the last time. The train's pulling into the station and everyone's making a huge commotion so they hang up, making him feel "low" and alone. He's probably standing on that platform, watching the train come to a strip, and every worst case scenario is running through his mind, causing his fear and nerves to spike. That single thought crosses his mind over and over and over again: "I don't know if I'm ever coming home."
Last Verse
Take the last train to Clarksville,
Take the last train to Clarksville,
A simple two-liner. Probably the final thoughts of the soldier as he climbs onto the train, doors closing behind him. As he steps onto the train, he leaves his life behind and his impending doom is waiting for him. Self-doubt and crippling anxiety fill his mind as he takes a seat, probably next to some other nervous soldier, and bites his fingernails, nervously awaiting whatever comes next.
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So...yup. I really don't see how people didn't know this was an anti-war song? Kinda like how Goin' Down is about a man who gets drunk and tries to kill himself. All you have to do is listen to the lyrics.
