Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas (1976)

{Refrain:


Carry on my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more  }



Once I rose above the noise and confusion

Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion

I was soaring ever higher

But I flew too high



Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man

Though my mind could think I still was a mad man

I hear the voices when I'm dreaming

I can hear them say



{Refrain}
{Refrain becomes the chorus}


Masquerading as a man with a reason

My charade is the event of the season

And if I claim to be a wise man, well

It surely means that I don't know



On a stormy sea of moving emotion

Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean

I set a course for winds of fortune

But I hear the voices say



{Refrain}

No!



Carry on, you will always remember

Carry on, nothing equals the splendor

The center lights around your vanity

But surely heaven waits for you



Carry on my wayward son

There'll be peace when you are done

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)
 
 
 
This is from a website where they interpret lyrics from popular rock songs and attempt to explain their meaning. This is from about two years ago:
 
"I always thought this was about a soldier trying to rationalize what he's doing and his experiences in war.




These were the top three lines I found that seem to point towards his justifications:



---"There'll be peace when you are done" - usually claimed to be the reasons nations go to war. Our soldier here feels that he is bringing peace by fighting a just cause.



---"Masquerading as a man with a reason" - Again, he's trying to cling to the belief that his side is correct, and that there is a reason for the violence... However he is struggling with or even doubting this justification.



---"Surely heaven waits for you" - This could either be the belief that someday he will leave the horror of battle to a more pleasant place, maybe by death, or it could again be the product of the belief that what he is doing is right (aka going to gain him a place in heaven for his good deeds)



Other quotes:



---"Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion" - this could represent the soldier's attempt to understand the true circumstances of the war, because he is questioning the morality of the war in which he involved. Perhaps he believes he is mislead regarding the enemy, the illusion being the original thoughts he had about the situation.



---"I can hear the voices when I'm dreaming" - Possibly the effects of PTSD, remembering the horror of war. This would be especially significant if he feels remorse for the killing.



---"My charade is the event of the season" - Perhaps our soldier feels cynical towards the glorification of war. He expresses contempt toward the sugar-coated coverage of his experiences during the war by media or other sources.



---"On a stormy sea of moving emotion" - again, during and after the war our soldier probably felt conflict of emotions regarding the morality of the situation. This would be intensified by the physical extremes he endured in combat.



---"You will always remember" - Simply put, he will never forget his service, for better or for worse.
"
 
As I read the news about SSgt. Bales, I wonder about the correspondance.