the most interesting lyric from miley cyrus‘ big 2013 hit wrecking ball is
i never meant to start a war, i just wanted u to let me in
and instead of using force, i guess i should have let u win
meant is the irregular past tense of mean. i should have let u win is a solid example of how to use should in the past to express a hypothetical situation.
miley cyrus on a wrecking ball (mileycyrusvevo)
frequently, as in this case, should in the past indicates an error. it is meant to sound like an apology, however, preceded by i guess, it sounds sarcastic and insincere.
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a wrecking ball in action
the references to force and war are metaphors for passion in a romantic relationship but also inspire images of the geopolitics that led to this classic video on my youtube channel, wreckin balls
a wrecking ball is a big metal ball used by construction crews to knock down (force to the ground, ) walls or buildings.
shock and awe (used in the video at :50) was the name of the technique implemented by the u.s. in their attack on baghdad in 2003. awe is related to the widely used adjective and in this context means that observers of the military display at the beginning of the war were supposed to feel amazed and afraid.
as a result of shock and awe and the years of war that have followed, a wrecking ball or two, and various other products and services have been needed to assist in the rebuilding of iraq. this has been a clear opportunity for american companies to exploit.
☝🏼 a common perception of former u.s. vice-president and halliburton ceo dick cheney
one corporation that has received billions of dollars from iraqi reconstruction contracts is halliburton, a military contractor that provides a multitude of services to the energy industry. dick cheney, pictured above and at :36 in the video (he’s on the right), was the ceo of halliburton from 1995-2000 and served as president george w. bush‘s vice president from 2001-2009.
christian bale won the 2019 golden globe for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy for his portrayal of dick cheney in this movie
were u shocked and/or awed at the beginning of the u.s. war in iraq? or did u feel something different? post your comments or questions in the leave a reply section below.
