jc4prez Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Anybody have any thoughts on this track? Too soon? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clint09eastwood Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Love this song... My trend with the record seems to be I have a favorite song for a while, depending on the day, and then it changes. This became my favorite for a few days, but I loved it every time I heard it. I speak in past tense because I have abstained from listening to my leak ever since the stream was taken down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dunnright00 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 .. My trend with the record seems to be I have a favorite song for a while, depending on the day, and then it changes.. That's been my pattern for the last few albums. This was my favorite before the leak/stream came out. But it has changed daily. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zebra Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I like this song. Anyone notice harmonies of it match up with harmonies of "On and On and On"? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chanman1128 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I like this song. Anyone notice harmonies of it match up with harmonies of "On and On and On"? the exact reason why i hate this song. They should have titled it: on and on and on pt 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 yeah, but this song is sooo much better than on and on and on (a snoozer) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
intodeep Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 This is one of my favs on the album. Very catchy it gets stuck in my head and i find myself singing it during the day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Great lyrics. I love the imagery & the story. one of the things I love about this album is in a few songs (this one and Bull Black Nova) Jeff wrote from a different perspective than his own. I still think Conscript may have been a better title, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc4prez Posted May 26, 2009 Author Share Posted May 26, 2009 Great lyrics. I love the imagery & the story. one of the things I love about this album is in a few songs (this one and Bull Black Nova) Jeff wrote from a different perspective than his own. I still think Conscript may have been a better title, though. This is what I was getting at. Jeff did a lot of Bush bashing the past eight years, I just thought it was weird fo him to write a war song while alluding to jesus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 This is what I was getting at. Jeff did a lot of Bush bashing the past eight years, I just thought it was weird fo him to write a war song while alluding to jesus.Love this song, although I was a bit shocked to hear them re-using the melody from On and On--the same way, I guess, I was a bit surprised to hear them re-use part of Far, Far Away for Sky Blue Sky last time around. Wilco is becoming increasingly self-referential. Something about this song also reminds me of When the Roses Bloom again, but that is probably due to the subject matter. I haven't totally parsed through the lyrics on this yet, so these are just my initial impressions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris_H_2 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I hate the repetitiveness of the lyrics -- especially so close to You Never Know. But I love the music. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I like this song. Anyone notice harmonies of it match up with harmonies of "On and On and On"? Yes, the phrasing of the words is exactly like "On and On".. Even though I really like the song, you have to wonder what Jeff was thinking... Did he do this on purpose? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Wilco is becoming increasingly self-referential. Exactly.. And I definitely see "Bull Black Nova" as the sister song of "Spiders". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mastershake Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Yes, the phrasing of the words is exactly like "On and On".. Even though I really like the song, you have to wonder what Jeff was thinking... Did he do this on purpose?maybe he thought he could write a better song than on and on and on - so he did. i think i'll fight is great - one of my favorites on the album. i did not like on and on and on that much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I hate the repetitiveness of the lyricsJeff has a thing for repetition. Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm...Its a war on war... There are other examples, but those pop to mind as times I have grumbled about it in the past, but all in all they worked out ok. I actually think this comes across as rather clever. I dunno. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Still don't like this song. I do like "On and On and On," however. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J_Lefty Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 This is what I was getting at. Jeff did a lot of Bush bashing the past eight years, I just thought it was weird fo him to write a war song while alluding to jesus. I think the imagery was pretty obvious: a conscript is like Jesus, yadda yadda... but I'm guessing he was coming at this from the perspective of the kind of person who'd join the military and say, "I'll fight" and then he goes through the reasons. I don't think it's a stretch to say there are people who join the military for religious sacrifice, but I dunno. This is an interesting line that completely turned me off at first, but I think there's more to it than bible babble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I do like "On and On and On," however. Me too, a brilliantly written song.. I've never understood why many people hate it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moxiebean Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Still don't like this song. I do like "On and On and On," however.Seconded - my least favorite song on W(TA) Maybe I'm reading too much into it but "On and On and On" seems to be written from a much more personal perspective/experience whereas "I'll Fight" comes across (to me, at least) as a "message" song (and the Jesus line bugs me, too) - I prefer "War on War" which is more elliptical and impressionistic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BassMan77 Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Big fan of "I'll Fight," its been in my head ever since I heard it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I haven't gotten to read the lyrics, which a lot of times solidifies my idea of a song. When just listening over and over, parts creep in kind of like osmosis. The song never struck me as literal. I always thought of it as a kind of melodramatic devotion to one person. The Jesus imagery is borrowed to give a kind of hyperbolic weight to the idea. Leonard Cohen has done the same thing with Christian imagery, borrowed it for personal psychology, romance etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hello_Operator Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I didn't mind the Jesus reference. I think it ties in nicely, and the person of Jesus has been tied into tragic situations for centuries, in works of literature, in philosophical treatises, in music: he represents goodness extinguished by corruption and the idea of "dying for a cause," even to people who aren't Christian. A sort of ideal. Who knows exactly what Jeff thinks of Jesus. But you have to admit, the "you have to learn how to die if you want to be alive" business certainly seems in tune with Christ. Anyway, I'm with those who really like this song. It gets stuck in my head a lot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stagerug Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I like this song a lot. The intro is one of my favorite parts of the album. Crazy how the silly things they call opinions and taste can vary so much... I can't see how anybody wouldn't like this song. The lyrics to this song kind of make me tear up a bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J_Lefty Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I can't see how anybody wouldn't like this song. I can definitely see why someone wouldn't like this song, especially if they have a problem with repetition. I do however like the song. It kind of seems to me to be a "War on War" meets "When the Roses Bloom Again." You have the sort of war chant opening mixed with a narrative about dying and sacrifice. I also hear some slight echos of The Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth." It's a deceptively complex tune. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Theremin Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Me too, a brilliantly written song.. I've never understood why many people hate it.Yeah, it saves the second half of SBS imo. I'll fight is like a bad version of on and on and on, completely lacks the emotion of the latter. Not a highlight at all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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