"16 Military Wives" // The Decemberists

• The subject matter is about military wives, celebrity minds, academy chairs, and cannibal kings.
• The theme of the song seems to be about how the American people are "cannibals" of a sort in the way that we try to consume the lives of others. We just mindlessly listen to how American soldiers have died and the newest developments in some pointless celebrities mixed-up life. The song points out how try to exploit those who are actually living life. The newscaster who says "la-di-da" is just a representation of how when soldiers die we are never bothered because that is just the plan and that is entertainment.