Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope that 2018 brings health and happiness to you and all who you love.

Regarding the song — the various interpretations of its lyrics make for some pretty interesting reading.  They range from an allegory to the Book of Revelations to the story of a man contemplating suicide after the death of his lover.  My own favorite is that it is a description of Russia’s Eastern Front during World War II, told from the point of view of a soldier in the Red Army.  (As strange as that sounds, it appears remarkably well supported in the song’s lyrics.  Google it.)  I’ve read that the boy on its cover is actually a Russian guerrilla in a Soviet propaganda film.