Fortunes of War

The lyrics describe a soldier returning home after war but finding that the conflict continues inside him. He feels isolated, troubled by memories and nightmares, and unable to connect with people who tell him that time will heal him. The mood grows from loneliness and distress toward a stark question: whether he has the strength to keep going.

“Scarred for life” usually suggests lasting damage; here, the speaker stresses that the wound is mental, not physical. “Living in my own world” implies feeling cut off from other people and ordinary reality. The recurring visions and voices convey how the past intrudes on the present, while “no pain anymore” may suggest numbness or exhaustion rather than genuine peace.

“Fortunes of war” can be read as bitterly ironic: the phrase sounds like luck or fate, yet the repeated refrain points to suffering that war leaves behind. The lyrics do not clearly say whether the speaker is literally losing touch with reality, using dramatic language for trauma, or both. Likewise, the ending is unresolved: wondering whether he can carry on expresses despair, but asking the question also leaves open the possibility that he might.