Hooters – Where Do The Children Go lyrics

This song is very open to interpretation and could narrate a variety of stories or meanings. But let's start with some basic symbolism. Children represent innocence or people who are not responsible for bad events that have occurred. The innocent have in some way been abandoned by a horrific event and as a result the are possibly orphaned. "Darkest day and bright night" are paradoxical. Ordinarily it would be bright day and dark night but here it's reversed indicating the world is backwards possibly after nuclear holocaust which was a central theme and huge social issue in the '80s when this song was written. The "deadly piper" could be war mongering leaders of the day like Muammar Gaddafi, Ronald Reagan (at least as seen from the left’s perspective), the USSR's Andropov and so on, leading us to what we think is just and right and we the innocent children just blindly follow our parental leaders because that's what we've been taught all our lives. We just "surrender into the night" of the dark side of society, and follow without questioning our own actions. "The handed us down a dream" seems to describe propaganda from the government leaders that are sabre rattling. "Castle's are falling down" brings an image that even the rulers or leaders will be devastated and killed but they think they can escape all the destruction as they will, as the line, "We're going where no one can find us" to me speaks that the children will try to escape the nuclear destruction but even if they do the leaders of the world will find them or others to propagate their hidden agendas and "whispers" of "a secret forever". The innocent always pay the heaviest price as the will are even assured of the reward of “Heaven” after death.

The idea that this song is "open to interpretation" is ridiculous. In this day of exponentially-increasing antisemitism, this song reminds the Jewish world of what happened when we were not successful in fighting for our right to exist. Its haunting rhythm should be a call to action for every American Jew who does not want to end up in Germany's Camps.

This song is a memorial to the 1,000,000 Jewish children who were murdered in the Holocaust. Let's consider the words, line by line: "Surrender into the night. Silently take my hand." (references the belief of the Good German-Jewish citizens who believe good always prevailed. The thought was "don't fight the SS, if we go along, we'll be released eventually.") "They handed us down a dream To live in this lovely town." (The Lovely Town refers to the Charter of Sparta, which allowed Jews to live separate-but-equal lives in lands that are now modern-day Germany). "But nobody hears the music, Only the echo of a hollow sound." (This refers to the vacuum created when Hitler and his National Socialist Party took steps to erase German-Jewish culture from Germany's history) "Where do the children go, Between the bright night and darkest day?" (this is a reference to the crematoriums of the Holocaust. The fires of the crematoriums made the nights bright, while the ashes of the crematoriums made the days dark). "Where do the children go? And who's that deadly piper who leads them away?" (Hitler, for all that is horrible about him, was one of the most compelling orators in modern history. We should feel lucky that Bernie Sanders and The Squad - who attempt to trumpet the same messages - are not as skilled as Hitler was in mesmerizing an audience). "Together we make our way Passengers on a train." (this couldn't be more obvious... a direct reference to the cattle cars that were used to transport Jews and other "deplorables" to the concentration camps and extermination camps) "Whisper a secret forever." (Jewish belief that if you keep your head down, the executioners will go away) "Promises in the rain." (Arbeit Macht Frei "Work will make you free," the lie that hung above the entrance to many of the concentration camps) "We're leaving it all behind," (referencing the security that German Jews felt when they believed they were not only integral members of German society, but also valued members of that society) "While castles are falling down." (referencing the destruction of German synagogues) "We're going where no one can find us." (no one comes back from the Camps) "And if there's a heaven, We'll find it somehow." (In spite of the evil and hate in the world, Jewish culture will survive) Where do the children go, Between the bright night and darkest day? Where do the children go? And who's that deadly piper who leads them away?