Talk:Locomotive Breath

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[edit] The Story

This song seems to tell a story, but can anybody tell what the story is? It seems to me a story of a train sabotage and a subsequent crash, from the perspective of a depressed train engineer whose life is in ruins anyway.. Other interpretations? Cryptic Cloud 00:56, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

I believe that this song, like "Aqualung", is also about a homeless man, despite his denial that this album was consciously created with a deliberate theme in mind. Perhaps the image of the homeless man that his wife captured in the photograph, affected him more deeply than he realized, guiding his hand to create a more deeper introspection into the life of the poor and destitute than he intended when he began this work. I think it describes the life and times of a man as he falls from a normal life to his ultimate demise, living his life on the cold uncaring streets of a thriving metropolis. The use of train references are a metaphor for his social and mental deterioration, (A Train Wreck) "Shuffling Madness" The general society of the busy cities population, going about their busy purposeful lives, stepping over and around the hopeless, homeless man. "Locomotive Breath", refers to his state of poor hygiene created by his unfortunate fall to destitution. JobyWan1 23:03, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

My interpretation (right or wrong), is that this song is metaphorical in most of it's entirety.

The main character would be a foot soldier during the Vietnam war, fighting the Viet Cong(Charlie) The war itself could be the train. His "children jumping off the station", would refer to his kids growing up without him being there.

"His woman and his best friend" needs no interpretation, but crawling down "corridor" could be referring to the front line. "Charlie stole the handle" would mean how we lost control of the war's direction through the hands of the enemy, hence now the Viet Cong{charlie) is dictating the wars path.

                          the last verse, I interpret as God taking over, finally ending the war.

sef —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sef80033 (talk • contribs) 04:10, 4 April 2008 (UTC)