Dave Matthews Band: The Last Stop Meaning

The Last Stop Lyrics

Fire
The sun is well asleep
Moon is high above
Fire grows from the east
How is this
Hate so deep
Lead us all so blindly killing killing
Fools we are
If hates the gate to peace
This is the last stop
For raining tears
War
The only way...

1. anonymous

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   Feb 5th 2012 !⃝

   I didn't like this song for a while because the first time around it sounds somewhat antisemitic. Then I heard this version, which is a little longer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOgHBMujTCw. The allegorical content to this song is actually amazing. Dave threads in the Palestine- Israeli conflict with connotations of Christianity.
   
   The Last stop, first of all, can either be heaven; for Christians- it can be heaven or hell, and for others- it can be Earth. Dave sings about debating this definition by singing about the beliefs about each of the three perceptions.
   
   He mentions the crucifiction as a means of Christians thinking they are right in their salvation through Christ. Then follows up with Jewish people and their belief that they are the Chosen One; and ends with the paradigm of War (Capital letters) which refers to the Islamic belief that there are two people in the world: "The House of G-d/believers," and "The House of War/ non-believers."
   
   He dramatizes the ideologies of each of the three as being "black and white." Religions solidify a belief. It's one of the few identities individuals hold which defines values as an absolute right. So in a conflict where all three KNOW they are right, he describes the "fire in the East."
   
   War is the absolute means of defining who is right-- but so is religion. Thus the conflict, a holy conflict ("you're so righteous, so righteous, so righteous, always so right."
   
   It is the land of the Jews. I'm not really sure where Christians fit in, and Palestines, especially fundamentalist, cannot fathom a world regulated by any separation of church and state-- there is no separation, they are one in the same. Anything democratic is "wrong," and in a sense evil. western[influenced]Democracies are in fact that exact definition.
   
   Perhaps that's the inclusion of the Christian faith-- Americans foundation being defined by Christian values, but still being separate from the state, and America being a supporter-- THE supporter of Israel.
   
   At any rate, Dave takes an aggressively neutral position on it, as if to say-- if you are all right, it's "not so black and white.So I hope that we can break it down." I think the instrumental serves as a piece to ponder the exhales in which peace, for brief periods, does exist; and the song, overall, is challenging --aggressively-- the stance of each.
2. anonymous

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   Apr 18th 2008 !⃝

   I don't think its quite that deep. If you believe that war and violence is the way to solve things than this is as far as we will ever get in the world.
3. anonymous

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   Oct 22nd 2007 !⃝

   The song is actually a tri-polar view of relations between muslims, jews, and christians especially regarding war and the situation in the middle east.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 28th 2007 !⃝

   This one is a no brainer. It's about the Europeans genocide of Native Americans. Listen closer if you don't believe.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Jun 24th 2007 !⃝

   I believe this is about the end of the world and God confronting the sinners on earth of their cruelty and hate that has estranged them from Him and the sinners "last stop" (the apocalypse) before facing eternal death and suffering or everlasting life
6. anonymous

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   May 2nd 2006 !⃝

   This is a song about Dave's dislike of war and violence. "War The only way to Peace I don't fall for that." He does not believe war will bring peace.

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