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September 29, 2005
Borderline
Song: Borderline
Artist: Chris DeBurgh
Album: The Getaway
Year: 1983
This song is such a sad, heartbreaking song of separation. Two people are caught on opposite sides of a war, and neither knows if they'll ever see each other again. This is a kind of music that has become much more rare since the end of the Cold War: a commentary on foreign affairs and their effect on ordinary people. Well, such songs do exist in country music, and I suppose that there are such commentaries in rock as well; it's just that the rock songs that provide such commentary seem to always be "progressive" and a little brain-dead. This is much more thoughtful, and it's obvious that, while DeBurgh is singing from an anti-war position, he's not trying to target any one person, but a part of human nature that he feels powerless to change. It's a very good song, from a stellar performer.
I'm standing in the station
I'm waiting for a train
To take me to the border
And my loved one far away
I watched a bunch of soldiers heading for the war
I could hardly even bear to see them go
Rolling through the countryside
Tears are in my eyes
We're coming to the borderline
I'm ready with my lies
And in the early morning rain
I see her there
And I know I'll have to say goodbye again
And it's breaking my heart
I know what I must do
I hear my country call me
But I want to be with you
I'm taking my side
One of us will lose
Don't let go, I want to know
That you will wait for me until the day ----
There's no borderline, no borderline
Walking past the border guards
Reaching for her hand
Showing no emotion
I want to break into a run
But these are only boys
And I will never know
How men can see the wisdom in a war
And it's breaking my heart
I know what I must do
I hear my country call me
But I want to be with you
I'm taking my side
One of us will lose
Don't let go, I want to know
That you will wait for me until the day ----
There's no borderline, no borderline
No borderline
No borderline
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