An Evanescent Honor

"Lyrics are like liquor for the fallen soldiers"
-Common, in the song "The People."

As I was listening to the song mentioned above, this particular lyric stood out. I'm sure there are multiple interpretations for what this line could mean, but today I came up with a possibility. First, I thought about how in certain urban areas, gang members pour out from a 40 oz. bottle of liquor to commemorate dead gang members, which is where I think "liquor for the fallen soldiers" comes from. After I figured that part out, I thought "how could that possibly relate to lyrics?"

Well, first of all, I wouldn't know that gangsters refer to themselves as "soldiers" if it wasn't for rap music, which is reflected through lyrics. A rap song has two main components: a beat and lyrics. Strangely enough, the listener only remembers the lyrics for a short while, but the beat is more memorable over time. This means that in terms of the song's legacy, the lyrics are an afterthought.

With that, it's easy to make the comparison of lyrics to "liquor for the fallen soldier." The short time after a person dies, people honor them briefly, but then place them as an afterthought as time goes on. Common is saying that when it comes to remembering a person, people have a tendency to remember the most immediate things as opposed to the person as a whole over time. You can pour out a little liquor to remember a friend, but eventually, they will be seen as an afterthought.