"It's better to burn out than to fade away" is definitely in the ballpark. Maybe even standing at home plate. I've seen some interviews with Neil Young about why he wrote that; in one he talks about "fighting the corrosion," and I think a lot of folks see resistance as a theme in that song.
A great deal of music is the personal stories behind these songs, both for the musicians and the listeners. Surly posters always have great stories, and a lot of those can be told in a line or two, or maybe a paragraph or two. That's part of what I hope comes out of this. A lot of it is clearly personal interpretation -- somehow, I've never heard Lennon's "God," so I'm curious about what is going on in that one for @honolulu horn. But the lyrics in "Perseverance" are easier to link -- they are my daily life since our stuff started back in the late teens.
That kind of anger and disappointment aren't something I can allow to consume me, but I maintain a low-level, background rage that sustains fighting back while staying sane. My colleagues and I are in a unique position of being able to resist in ways that others can't. Without music it would be harder. Family, friends, finally having the Horns back where they belong ... all that stuff helps.
I know your fear of loss
And your struggles with faith
And how it takes everything that you have to face the day
The virtues you possess now bring you eternal pain
All you have is contempt for a life you can't obtain
All your heroes have failed you
Yet you try and prevail
Face your torment and dismantle your doubt
Refuse this legacy of shame and deceit
Cause the only real truth in your life that you know is hostility
Your world is coming apart
Remain steadfast
Perseverance
Against all opposition
Crushing all limitations
Pure strength through solitude
Discipline and determination