What do you think "All Along the Watchtower" means?

[Zeraph]

I've always loved this song and it's many covers (IMO the best version is BT4's that was for BSG). But I've never fully understood what it meant. Here are the lyrics for those unfamiliar:

"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

To me it's about a conversation at first, talking about how they want to leave a society where life goes by unappreciated. They're excited they found each other and decide to do something about it.

The watchtower and princes could be society. The two riders are probably the joker and thief right? Attacking standard convention, I'd guess. The fact there's only two of them and the ominous wind shows the hard battle ahead if they want to change anything.

But why a joker and a thief? Maybe because there's truth in humor and a thief knows what things are worth?

[inBOIL]

In the first four lines, the Joker is lamenting the fact that life goes by unappreciated, and that unimportant things are given more value than they deserve. In the second four lines, the Thief mentions that some people observe what the Joker is commenting on, and falsely conclude that life is a joke. These people are doomed to suffer the same fate as the elite, whose fortunes are tied up with the society they've built. This fate (downfall) is foreshadowed in the Thief's 3rd and 4th lines. He's also implying that they (the Thief and Joker) have moved past that state of despair, and in doing so have liberated themselves from the fate of their society.

"The princes kept the view" refers to those who take their superficial society seriously trying to protect it. "While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too." refers to those who feel that life is a joke-they're not concerned with society's downfall, although it will negatively impact them.

The last two lines simply show the approaching doom. I don't think the riders are the Joker and Thief, they merely personify the elements that are destined to destroy this society. The joker and thief are absent from the last four lines, symbolizing their lack of involvement in the upcoming battle.

[josobot]

check out W. B. Yeats...especially The Tower