A Hero Of War

Hero of War

So, the new Rise Against album is out now…I found an early leak of it on the internet (don’t worry, I am buying the album…i’ve already got it pre-ordered on iTunes), and one of the songs that really jumped out at me on my first listen through was track 10, entitled “Hero of War.” I don’t really want to explain it much, I figure it’s just best if I post the lyrics to it and let you guys see it. I was originally going to post a link to the song too, but as I write this i’m not at home. However, I plan on writing another blog post or maybe making a bulletin when I get home, so for now the lyrics will have to suffice.

He said, “Son,
Have you see the world?
Well, what would you say
If I said that you could?
Just carry this gun and you’ll even get paid.”
I said, “That sounds pretty good.”

Black leather boots
Spit-shined so bright
They cut off my hair but it looked alright
We marched and we sang
We all became friends
As we learned how to fight

A hero of war
Yeah that’s what I’ll be
And when I come home
They’ll be damn proud of me
I’ll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love
And a flag that I trust

I kicked in the door
I yelled my commands
The children, they cried
But I got my man
We took him away
A bag over his face
From his family and his friends

They took off his clothes
They pissed in his hands
I told them to stop
But then I joined in
We beat him with guns
And batons not just once
But again and again

A hero of war
Yeah that’s what I’ll be
And when I come home
They’ll be damn proud of me
I’ll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love
And a flag that I trust

She walked through bullets and haze
I asked her to stop
I begged her to stay
But she pressed on
So I lifted my gun
And I fired away

The shells jumped through the smoke
And into the sand
That the blood now had soaked
She collapsed with a flag in her hand
A flag white as snow

A hero of war
Is that what the see
Just medals and scars
So damn proud of me
And I brought home that flag
Now it gathers dust
But it’s a flag that I love
It’s the only flag I trust

He said, “Son, have you seen the world?
Well what would you say, if I said that you could?”

I don’t know exactly what it was about this song, but the first time I heard it, I almost started to cry. I can’t really say why, but the song really affected me, and I hope it can have a similar effect for others.