Neil Young's Broken Arrow

The lights turned on and the curtain fell down,
And when it was over it felt like a dream,
They stood at the stage door and begged for a scream,
The agents had paid for the black limousine
That waited outside in the rain.
Did you see them, did you see them?
Did you see them in the river?
They were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?

Eighteen years of American dream,
He saw that his brother had sworn on the wall.
He hung up his eyelids and ran down the hall,
His mother had told him a trip was a fall,
And don't mention babies at all.
Did you see him, did you see him?
Did you see him in the river?
He was there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?

The streets were lined for the wedding parade,
The Queen wore the white gloves, the county of song,
The black covered caisson her horses had drawn
Protected her king from the sun rays of dawn.
They married for peace and were gone.
Did you see them, did you see them?
Did you see them in the river?
They were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quivered,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?

Commentary
One can never be called crazy if you describe Neil Young's songs as obscure.  Obscurity and defeat are featured prominently in his songs.  From a marketing standpoint you might not think that these features sell, and you might be right.  But from a political and cultural standpoint, they can be put to effective use.  To effectively reinforce a helplessness in a new generation.  I began an investigation, if you could call it that, into Young's "Broken Arrow" because of the Army's definition of the term, meaning that a battalion is about ready to be run over and the commanding officer calls for backup.  I just gone done watching Mel Gibson's poignant rendition of We Were Soldiers, where broken arrow was called for by Colonel Hal Moore.
But after an hour of searching and listening and extrapolating as to what the song might mean, it became clear that the song is about the break up of two talented friends.  And because it's a song written by Neil Young, the song is about his experience, thoughts, and feelings of, on, and about Stephen Still and Crosby, Stills, & Nash.  Of all the articles I could find, this one gives the greatest insight into the background of the song.