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The using of words like “heartache” and “never-ending” definitely seems appropriate in a situation like that but when looked at from the viewpoint of those who are not as privileged as Americans and Europeans, it comes off as laughable.
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I couldn't agree with you more about the lyrics. The song is essentially drivel. It does not address the tragedy and is rather self-indulgent. Someone ought to have told Stevie this was the wrong 9/11 song to use. If you want expressions of compassion and keen observation, check out some of the songs in Springsteen's The Rising. I think Stevie's heart was in the right place, but this song misses the mark by a few miles.
And speaking of being off the mark by miles:
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LB’s using of those voices puts in a sarcastic slant; he wants to emphasize the fact that while a few thousand people may have died in New York, a lot more people died elsewhere that day and not because of “natural” reasons. On that particular day in September 2001 he must have thought along the lines of “I told you so”, like a significant amount of European newspapers did.
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With all due respect, that's pretty outrageous. I'll be the first one to look at our history in the Middle East and say the source of our troubles is our own misguided policy, which by no way means I am justifying terrorism. However, to deduce from Lindsey's choice of voice effects on the song that he on that day reacted with "I told you so," is outlandish. There is no evidence of such sentiments by him anywhere that I have seen. And considering his anti-violence message on other SYW songs, I seriously doubt he would have reacted with anything but compassion and shock to the events of that day, the European papers' assessment notwithstanding. I understand why some Europeans are so cynical about Americans' reaction to the tragedy, but I don't see how you could possibly equate that with Lindsey's feelings. Not unless he says so.
That Lindsey might have laughed at Stevie's reaction, considering the self-centered approach in the song, is not far-fetched. But it's highly improbable. The man has said these songs are some of her best stuff yet (an assessment with which I disagree) so let's take him at his word, at least on this.
To be sure, there are far better songs out there about 9/11, even by unknown artists. But any detection of hints of sarcasm in the song is fantasy.