Dave Matthews Band - The Last Stop Lyrics Meaning

I didn't like this song for a while because the first time around it sounds somewhat antisemitic. Then I heard this version, which is a little longer The allegorical content to this song is actually amazing. Dave threads in the Palestine- Israeli conflict with connotations of Christianity.

The Last stop, first of all, can either be heaven; for Christians- it can be heaven or hell, and for others- it can be Earth. Dave sings about debating this definition by singing about the beliefs about each of the three perceptions.

He mentions the crucifiction as a means of Christians thinking they are right in their salvation through Christ. Then follows up with Jewish people and their belief that they are the Chosen One; and ends with the paradigm of War (Capital letters) which refers to the Islamic belief that there are two people in the world: "The House of G-d/believers," and "The House of War/ non-believers."

He dramatizes the ideologies of each of the three as being "black and white." Religions solidify a belief. It's one of the few identities individuals hold which defines values as an absolute right. So in a conflict where all three KNOW they are right, he describes the "fire in the East."

War is the absolute means of defining who is right-- but so is religion. Thus the conflict, a holy conflict ("you're so righteous, so righteous, so righteous, always so right."

It is the land of the Jews. I'm not really sure where Christians fit in, and Palestines, especially fundamentalist, cannot fathom a world regulated by any separation of church and state-- there is no separation, they are one in the same. Anything democratic is "wrong," and in a sense evil. western[influenced]Democracies are in fact that exact definition.

Perhaps that's the inclusion of the Christian faith-- Americans foundation being defined by Christian values, but still being separate from the state, and America being a supporter-- THE supporter of Israel.

At any rate, Dave takes an aggressively neutral position on it, as if to say-- if you are all right, it's "not so black and white.So I hope that we can break it down." I think the instrumental serves as a piece to ponder the exhales in which peace, for brief periods, does exist; and the song, overall, is challenging --aggressively-- the stance of each.