Chewin in the Chung

The Siouxsie and the Banshees song Cities in Dust was released on the album Tinderbox in 1986. Here are the lyrics to the song:

Water was running, children were running
You were running out of time
Under the mountain, a golden fountain
Were you praying at the Lares shrine?
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend

We found you hiding -- we found you lying
Choking on the dirt and sand
Your former glories and all the stories
Dragged and washed with eager hands
But oh your city lies in dust, my friend

Hot and burning -- in your nostrils
Pouring down your gaping mouth
Your molten bodies -- blanket of cinders
Caught in the throes...
And oh your city lies in dust

Here are my questions:
1) What is a Lares Shrine? I Googled this term and could only figure out that it was some kind of Roman Shrine.
2) What exactly is this song about? I always assumed that it was another comment on the nuclear war between the U.S. and Soviet Union that we waited for all throughout the eighties. But on reading the lyrics I'm less sure. Is the song directed towards a fallen leader or something else?