It was inspired by a scene that was in the script, but cut out of the movie. Keifer Sutherland's character was being dragged in shackles back to Santa Fe. He'd moved to New York and become a teacher and gotten on with his life, but was constantly reminded of his old life because kids played Billy the Kid in the streets and he was in the comic books (that line was in the movie). He had to go back and face his demons and it wasn't by choice.

Jon said he specifically wrote the first three lines of the song to be as cliched as possible because cliches are like ghosts and he wanted the listener to perhaps be reminded of their own ghosts and demons that they'll have to face.

The rest of what I say about the song comes from years of studying both Jon and psychology, so take it as theory. I also think the music industry played a part in that song. As you know, Jon said he was hiding behind those characters. I can't help but feel that "it's this world that turns a killer into a hero" is a direct slap at the very industry that was killing Jon at that point. He bought into the romanticism of the dream and found out it was dirty. I think Jon was talking about himself and having become someone he didn't like and didn't recognize as himself. Those lyrics indicate a real struggle within himself, and a grappling with spirituality. He's a believer, but can he really be absoloved? It comes across as a song that came from a very dark place but still held onto hope and faith. I'll spare you the book I could write about the song and leave it at that. LOL

Becky