Through The Barricades

The lyrics describe a love between people separated by conflict and social divisions. The speaker moves from confusion about why love seems to be disappearing toward a stronger, though painful, commitment. The relationship offers comfort and courage, but it exists in a dangerous world where barriers may outlast the lovers.

“Barricades” suggests both physical obstacles and the boundaries that divide people. “Wasteland” makes the setting feel damaged and empty, yet the lovers still create something meaningful there. The mother’s “face that’s turned to ice” implies grief or emotional hardness, while the father’s history and lessons show how inherited beliefs can shape a person—and later be questioned.

The lyrics do not specify exactly what the conflict is, so the divisions could be understood broadly rather than as one particular event. The speaker’s hope that the lovers can cross lines sits beside images of scars, fading music, and hearts going to their graves. “A terrible beauty” captures this tension: their love is moving and powerful, but it grows out of suffering. The song can be read as both a personal love story and a reflection on how political or social conflict reaches into private life.