Originally Posted by
sodascouts
I think what bothers me about this song is the way Henley seems to look down on regular people. The way he mocks working class guys whom he considers to be unenlightened... the way he sneers at people who pray for things that he considers trivial... It's so freaking arrogant and condescending. "I'm so much better than the ignorant masses."
The Capitol Gold interview actually made me like the song even less because he reveals that the people he's mocking, the ones that pray at football games, are just regular folks hoping the game goes well.
"[In Texas] football is right up there next to God and Mom and the flag and apple pie. And there's always a prayer before the games. And sometimes the prayer asks... I mean, they used to come out and just ask outright for victory, but now they just sort of pray that nobody gets hurt, which is fine, but... you know, they ask the Lord to watch over this football game, as if the Lord has nothing else to do. As if the universe is so small that the Lord has time to watch football games."
Obviously Henley believes that HE knows what the Lord cares about, unlike those stupid suckers, eh? I love how he begrudgingly admits that nowadays the prayers are for kids not to get hurt!
That kind of thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.