Billy Talent: Red Flag Meaning
Song Released: 2006
Red Flag Lyrics
The red flag wavin' never meant the same,
The kids of tomorrow don't need today,
When they live in the Sins of Yesterday.
Well I've never seen us act like this,
Our only hope is in minds of...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:There are "red flags" all around us that show that our current actions will only lead to destruction, such as polluting or giving the government more and more control, but we continue doing those things because they are easy. They are the "crutch that kills the pain." While this makes it easy for us, the next generations will have to clean up the messes we made.
It seems that kids often are the only ones who see the obvious truths and we are going to have to rely on them to pull us out of this mess. They are our only weapons before this noose strangles us.
But, even a single person, a "bee" or a "pawn" can "sting" or "checkmate" these problems and the governments who stand in our way if we are willing to keep working and aren't afraid to make mistakes. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:It's about kids that are left to solve their ancestors problems like the Hummer and corrupt government which they cover with Red Flags, signifing a problem to be fixed. They rip up a text book and throw it to the Heavens and as it rains down, they wear WWII gas masks to say they are old and poisonous and need to be changed. Another great socially concious song (and music video)that sends a powerful message to all people.
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3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:The song is about armed proletarian youth revolution, the song symbolizes how the youth must bring about a new age and wash away that of the old capitalist regimes of the modern world. Red Flag in the title itself obviously has to do with communist/socialist revolution.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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I think that the cast of the crutch that kills the pain means that we shouldn't always rely on things that numb us and should stand up for our rights and believes.
The red flag waving never meant the same is in my opinion a reference to the ever growing need for a more socialist view in this world.
The upper class has ruled for far too long and left us with a shit mess, this song is about the young having to take it back! -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Its about that the younger generations cant evolve if theyre bound up to the older generations (WW2 gas masks).
the red flag is now a symbol of socialism, but the lyrics say "wavin´never ment the same"
before the socialists abused the red flag it was a symbol of revolution. the song has nothing to do with socialism. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Clearly this song speaks of generation gaps with a looming fear and regret of the new /current generaton. That adage, "pay for your fathers sins" is reiterated and extended upon revealing a cycle; the current generation was created by the previous one, which affects the latter and the future as they too will one day be the latter.
Waving a red flag brings to mind two things; being "red-flagged," which is equivalent to being scrutinized and is an alert to others. Also, waving a red flag conjures the idea of taunting a bull with the intention of provoking it to strike. There is a "taunting" tone to the song but is also meant as a red flag, or warning, but is hopeless in a sense that the perspective is in hind-sight...the village has already raised the child and now must reap what was sewn.
There is also a considerable amount of resentment for the generation who must pass the torch as they do not trust the next. Also significant is that he seems to imply an Orewellian sense of the eradication of a generations elders; "tighten the noose, they're coming for you." However, though power and world control is in the new generations hands, there is a call to fight against what is in progress, but again, the idea of progress is progressive and cyclical with roots from long ago.
"Like every fire doesn't need water..." Here he is saying that though he'd like to douse the flame with water and quickly put it out, he expects it will eventually burn itself out.
"Like a jury needs a liar..." A jury is supposed to discern among the liars to declare innocence or guilt of a crime. All it takes is one liar in a panel of judges (from the supreme court to a panel of jurors) to disrupt or persuade the rest thus hindering due process.
"Like a riot don't need order..."pretty much speaks for itself. The purpose of a riot is not intended for order and usually, the more force applied to subdue a riot, the more violent they become.
"Like a madman needs a martyr..." A madman literally could mean a crazy person who's mental illness is the result of something, but I see it differently. I believe the "madman" could refer to a leader who seems "mad" with his revolutionary proclamations to change the world and after people have used faulty judgment to elect a liar into power, they are outraged that the lies proved futile. The leaders could try and snuff out the "riot" by force (with water) but allow it to run it's course, all the while further implanting more lies and shifting the blame to a martyr...whom or whatever that may be.
"We don't need them..." The bridge ultimately meant to fill in all the gaps between generations so that the next will not wave yet another red flag. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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iv never seen a potato kill someone intentionally. just sayin they seem pretty doscile to me. lol. oh and this song rocks. and the interprutation up top is the one ,in my opion, that makes the most sense. in no way at any stretch of any rational sensible thought should it be ever connected to soccer EVER!
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The song is about revolution and cleansing the problems and mistakes the kids of this generation are left with. The red flag is a sign of error and problems of present day life that need to be fixed
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No comment on the potato guy. Must be friends with the soccer guy.
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lol, i have to agree with the 'may God have mercy on your soul' guy. soccer? please. that guy needs to read a book that doesnt say to color the pictures as best you can. stop making people waste their time to skip your stupid incoherrent words!
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It clearly has to do with the killer potatoes that are allegedly going to take over the planet. idiots....
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Red Flag has multiple meaning, like most songs.
The first is about how today's youth should be changing things because their ancestors did big mistakes and are killing the planet. That's the meaning that the music video supports.
Next, the red flag is a metaphor describing the things that are evil (Gasoline, pornography, etc...) and that we have to let them aside.
Finally, the red flag is the Canadian flag. The Canadian flag has been waving since 150 years (I'm talking about the official creation date of the Confederation), you may count more if you suggest Canada exists since the British victory at the Plaines d'Abraham (Abraham Plains), and that from one generation to the other, it never really meant the same.
That's from my point of view the best meaning, but I may be wrong. -
Machs, you're an idiot
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