David+A

**- Rise Agai** **nst - Hero Of War - ** DAVID ABADES

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__//Lyrics//__ 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



=__ **Introduction:** __=

"Hero of War", by Rise Against is a very meaningful song about war, included in their album ’’Appeal to Reason’’ from 2008, which was inspired by the 2006 documentary The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends, focuses on soldiers' Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on returning home from war. ‘’Hero of War’’ is a really special song, in the way it is an acoustic song, where it uses a primarily instrument which is 1an acoustic guitar, accompanied by [|Tim McIlrath] ’s voice, which is the vocalist and the star of the group. This type of music, apart from breaking the bands traditional punk rock hard-core songs, [|Tim McIlrath] ‘s lyrics, will only make you focus on the words and the dramatic meaning of the song, full of contrasts, ideas and critiques to war and indirectly to Bush. Everything will go on during those full worthy four minutes that the song lasts for.

=__ **Story:** __=

//This song, ‘’Hero of War’’ talks about war, It’s about this ex veteran soldier, which is telling his son about war experiences, starting the lyrics with the question: ‘’ Have you see the world?’’. The song is a meaningful story about this soldier, his memories, what he lived, saw and felt, questioning, is he really a hero of war? The songs image is of, a person/soldier who is in Iraq, because the government has send him. So he sees it as taking lives of innocent men, women and children.//

=__**Lyrics:**__=

The lyrics are full of meaning in every line, I have selected the essential ones to explain:

They’ll be damn proud of me
The father feels the son only sees a hero and not the reality of being a soldier. He does not think in the difficulties, the pain, only seeshis dad as a hero.

From his family and his friends
This hole paragraph is full of images, it, explains the truth of war, the horrible moments, hurting innocent people, breaking families and lives

But then I joined in
Now it is getting very dramatic and severe, they are brutally and psychologically attacking the innocent person he knows it’s wrong and tells them to stop but he joins in, he is by forced join in to the beating.

But she pressed on
He finds himself actually in situation which he knows are wrong but ends up taking the lives of innocent people.

And I fired away
But as a soldier he does not hesitate and fires the gun, with out thinking about the woman’s life, her children or her family. The soldier killing an innocent life who was unarmed which was not a danger to him.

A flag white as snow
This means she had surrender showing the White flag, but he took no notice of that. The song then goes on to talk about his flag, the American patriotic flag, but what is he doing now? Just killing because he wants? Is he stopped being a real hero just because he went to war he will be labelled like that. Really in his heart and soul feels horrible and dishonoured about all he has done.

Just medals and scars
In the last paragraph that’s what Mcllrath says, some very meaningful phrases which conclusion my argument. Is he really a hero of war? He is not really, but that is what we see because he has become ‘victorious’ from the war, having some materialistic medals that don’t mean a lot.

It’s the only flag I trust
Those are the last phrases, suggesting and sensitive, the ideas of the soldier coming back, not really not being a hero in the inside, leaving the flag to gather with dust, in the sense he want’s to forget the bad things he has done.

=__** Conclusion (overall meaning and message for me) **__=

I remember the first time I heard this song, it was a year ago in the winter, and I listened to the lyrics, I just couldn’t believe how well it was done. The rhythm is perfect for the lyrics and Mcllarth’s powerful voice made the song. I have seen lot’s of comments about the song in the internet, from ex veterans admitting it made them cry, about patriot’s not liking the song, and me personally, as just a boy in Spain, without really knowing what war is really like or the patriotic sentiments of a person. I just love the power of this song, being one of the most popular ones of the band, and it is really only a solo of the vocalist, getting to know his ideas through his music, leaving the power of media to spread his word in a song form. The way the song is structured is very well thought out. The ex veteran is telling his son him about war and cruelty. Each phrase being full of meaning and truth. It really makes me relax and just enjoy the song, but makes me think how the world really isd, and more specifically the wars. Why do we have wars?. They have always been caused for political unnecessary needs and the idea we are superior to the other countries sending soldiers to invade, to kill and bomb other counties making the world a better place?!

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Here is another video about the song i found on the internet searching, it's unofficial, done by an amateur, which really liked the song and decided to do his own video clip, it's very well done and thought in the way all the lyrics are sincronized with the video you are watching, making it very easy to see and understand the song.