Aquarius Goodnights Poem Meaning

The song I selected that deals directly with the travesties of war is "Aquarius Goodnights". My interpretation of the song involves Claude (the "Aquarius") who has been deployed into Vietnam and is trying to relay his location to his superiors or anyone that's listening, he comes under fire as he's singing a reprisal of the song "Ain't got no", a song that probably reminds him of his friends back home and a happier time in his life, he comes under fire, and after his last verse we can assume he died. Following these events in the song the tribe is protesting the war at the induction center where new draftees are being briefed. Berger and Sheila call out for Claude who responds with "I'm right here! Like it or not they got me" but he is ignored. …show more content…
Another form is that this last part of the song is a flashback and after calling out for Claude he arrives in his military gear and saying "they got me" refers to the government successfully drafting him, and because Claude was so willing to confirm the Tribe doesn't recognize him anymore and choose to ignore him out of distaste. The theme of war plays a significant role in this song as Claude experiences his demise fighting a war he was pushed towards. The Tribe is protesting a war they feel is pointless and has taken their friend (depending on which interpretation you go off of. The theme of war being a malicious subject also plays a pick impact as Claude calls off his numbers in the beginning this shows how war is willing to expand so many people for little gain, as the Vietnam war