☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics 'Won't Get Fooled Again' by The Who are a critical reflection on political revolutions and social changes, expressing skepticism and distrust
- The text begins with a description of riots and fights, indicating a societal upheaval and painting a picture of flexible moral values and controversial authority
- The chorus shows an ironic acceptance of the new political order, praying that people 'won't get fooled again', indicating the singer's skepticism towards the benefit and real change brought about by the revolution
- The text emphasizes the constant repetition of revolution and war, showing a world where history doesn't truly change and the banners of the last war are still flying
- The song ends with the famous expression 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!', summarizing the central message of the song: despite all the changes and revolutions, ultimately everything remains the same and people are repeatedly deceived and exploited by the same rulers
Interpretation
The song lyrics 'Won't Get Fooled Again' by
The Who are a political and social critique expressing distrust towards political revolutions and changes. The text refers to the cycle of revolution and restoration in politics and expresses a certain skepticism about the value of such revolutions.
The song's lyrics begin with a description of riots and fights, 'We'll be fighting in the streets, with our children at our feet...', which indicates a societal upheaval. The singer observes that the moral values that were once revered have disappeared and that those who incite people to fight now judge right and wrong.
The chorus, 'I'll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution...', shows an ironic acceptance of the new order, but the singer prays to 'not be fooled again'. This suggests that he believes the new order is not better than the old.
The text goes on to claim that the world looks the same, history has not changed, and the banners of the last war are still flying, indicating a cyclical repetition of revolution and war.
Finally, the song lyrics end with the famous line 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!', which sums up the central point of the song: despite all the revolutions and changes, in the end, everything remains the same, and people are repeatedly deceived and exploited by the same types of rulers.