Hero Of War - Rise Against

He said "Son Have you seen the world? What would you say If I said that you could Just carry this gun? 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 looks 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 'Cause it's a 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 'Cause it's a 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... And the shells Jumped trough the smoke And into the ground That the blood now had soaked She collapsed With a flag in her hands A flag white as snow... A hero of war Is that what they see? Just medals and scars So damn proud of me And I brought home that flag And now it gathers dust But it's a flag that I love... 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 'Cause it's a flag that I love It's the only flag I trust He said "Son Have you seen the world? What would you say If I said that you could?

On that day they'll tell you That life hummed on with no clue The warning signs were all dismissed or shouted down So it goes The kings all failed to tell us The madmen failed to sell us On what would then become the only life we know? Were they burning signal fires To guide us to the fields? Or building funeral pyres? The outcome of a final appeal The city lines are down The Kerosene's run out The fracturing of all we relied upon Let's shed this unclean skin And start to feel again 'Cause all the shoulders On which to cry are gone The paranoaia gripped us The rain turned engines to rust The panic set in like a cancer to our hearts Spreading through We bet on finite genius Or prayed for gods to save us But there was no antidote Disease tore us apart We left bodies in the fields So numb that we forgot how to feel The city lines are down The Kerosene's run out The fracturing of all we relied upon Let's shed this unclean skin And start to feel again 'Cause all the shoulders On which to cry are gone He looked at the fields And then his hands "All I need is what I have" Then fell a tear of happiness She watched the world Crumble away "Is this the end of yesterday?" "Lord, I hope so", is all he said Oh, Gone are the old guards Gone are the cold, cold wars Weightless we go forth On wings of amnesty (All we rely on now) The city lines are down The Kerosene's run out The fracturing of all we replied upon Let's shed this unclean skin And start to feel again With no more shoulders Shoulders to cry on now No more, no more No more, no more No more, no more The weight that we once had is gone

Light all the torches, wake up the king The smoke you've ignored is a flame you can't contain We circle the walls and claw at the dirt We growl from our guts and howl until it hurts I told her "come with me and I can take you from this place now Somewhere these roads don't go, a place that we can start again" I grabbed her hand and pulled her close She looked at me and said "hey I don't even know your name" But I'm ready to explode Like a tiger in a circus Cracking whips are all I know I'm searching for a sense of purpose We are the wolves at the gate Our numbers growing everyday But you can't fight us all, no You can't fight We are the wolves at the wall We break in like a waterfall But you can't fight us all, no You can't fight The water is breaching the walls of the dam Trampling dreams in a rush to higher land Are you ready to explode? Like a tiger in a circus? This cage is all I've ever known But now you've given me a purpose We are the wolves at the gate Our numbers growing everyday But you can't fight us all, no You can't fight We are the wolves at the wall We break in like a waterfall But you can't fight us all, no And we are not going away Roaming in numbers and chasing the scent Circling in for the kill And you are the winter, the long discontent We won't stop 'til we've had our fill Roaming in numbers and chasing the scent Circling in for the kill And you are the winter, the long discontent We won't stop 'til we've had our fill We are the wolves We are the wolves We are the wolves

Thank you for your silence, your continuing compliance It's your head buried so deep in sand that ushered in the virus (Oh, no) Please don't lift a finger Don't get up, just sit right there (Oh, no) Don't worry about the thoughts Inside your pretty little head So we stick to the script and recite your lines Don't break from the character just keep it inside But this is bullshit (Bullshit) It's finally coming into focus (Focus) You're lying and I think you know it But you're too afraid to face the storm you helped create Yeah, this is bullshit (Bullshit) And did you think I wouldn't notice? (Notice) Cracks in your theory are showing like a broken vase Your grip around me dissipates And we are separated only by divisions and the walls that we create (And we are separated only by divisions and the walls that we create) But we are more alike than different when we stop and take a minute face to face (But we are more alike than different when we stop and take a minute face to face) They say we're divided and we are conquered Yeah, but our enemies have never been each other, no 'Cause this is bullshit (Bullshit) It's finally coming into focus (Focus) You're lying and I think you know it But you're too afraid to face the storm you helped create Yeah, this is bullshit (Bullshit) And did you think I wouldn't notice? (Notice) Cracks in your theory are showing like a broken vase Your grip around me dissipates So we scale the walls and fire escapes A wheat paste brush and cans of paint To cover up your walls with something new 'Cause we all know Your signs say we're not good enough Not cute enough, not smart enough Not worth your love, out with the old And in with something new (Bullshit, it's coming around But this is bullshit, it's not slowing down This is bullshit and it always was And this is bullshit and you know it) Bullshit, not sorry to say But this is bullshit, you've been lying to me Bullshit and it always was And you know, and you know, and you know, and you know That this is bullshit coming right at you Bullshit coming home to roost Bullshit and you're too afraid To face the storm you helped create This is bullshit This is bullshit Bullshit and you're too afraid To face the storm you helped create

This night will fall like any other Daylight subsides and shadows crawl Out from under black corners Hiding something stars All so restless Cracked windows open wide Dead-bolt turns, doors creak open Whispers and moonlight there to guide Come raise your lantern to the sky Can we illuminate this night? We'll dance like heathens round a flame While the world sleeps we are awake The black brook calls, it sings a chorus While the gathering swells The flames grow tall right before us As drums keep pounding And the masses now are fusing Bodies pressed and tangled As we revel in confusion Our inhibitions thrown into the fire Come raise your lantern to the sky Can we illuminate this night? We'll dance like heathens round a flame While the world sleeps we are awake Here in the dark we are safe from the judgment Now arm in arm locked tight so no one gets in The hell is sent, see, child, you are hellbent But hell is not where we're going, hell is where we've been Come raise your lantern to the sky And let's illuminate this night We'll dance like heathens around the flame And while the world sleeps we are awake Raise your lantern to the sky And let's illuminate this night We'll dance like heathens around the flames While the world sleeps we are awake (Raise your lantern to the sky) Yeah, we are awake (Hey, hey, hey) We are awake (Now raise your lantern to the sky) We are awake, yeah, we are awake, we are awake