Meaning of lyrics in u2 & Green Days "The Saints Are Coming"?

Question

I pretty much get the first part of the song, but on the second part when it says A drowning sorrow floods the deepest grief
How long now
Until a weather change condemns belief
How long now
When the night watchman lets in the thief
What's wrong now
who is the night watchman, the theif, and what does "A drowning sorrow floods the deepest greif" mean? I would really appriciate it if someone could answer this with accurate answers relating to the songs meaning toward new orleans and hurricane Katrina. Thanks

Answer 1

I would interpret the nightwatchman to be the powers that be who should be taking care of the people -- if the watchman lets in a theif, he is not doing his job so they seem to be saying that the government, etc. is not doing thier job either in the effort to fix things up in NO, or in preventing the disaster in the first place for that matter.

The rest just is basically telling you that the floods have brought a lot of grief and suffering to what was already a poor, tough luck lot of people down in NO.

Just my opinion. Sometimes poetry and song are supposed to be subjective, so they can mean different things to different people.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I cried to my daddy on the telephone, how long now? Lol yeah i admire the music. This lady finished the unique 'abode of the starting to be sunlight' in some expertise assembly factor, and that i saved happening approximately how green Day did this with U2. Then some lady become like 'i wager its crappy' so I knocked her out... in my ideas.

Answer 3

Yeah what hb said
PS-The song is great!!