NationStates Jolt Archive

Musical is a nice word, music describes so much in a way nothing else can. With the wars going on now what type of songs about war do you find most interesting and relevent?






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9VhD4SccSE


Guns N Roses - Civil War

Like them or not I love that song! I don't see it as anti and one war, but anti war in general and an attempt to have people realize there needs to be a more peaceful way to resolve our issues, because all we are doing is kill our planet and people.

Join the Army, it's killer.

I prefer the oldies. Really old oldies.

The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy right shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

And who could forget Abdul Abulbul Amir?
The sons of the prophet
Were valiant and bold
And quite unaccustomed to fear
But of all the most reckless
Or so I am told
Was Abdul Abulbul Amir.

If you wanted a man to encourage the van,
Or harass the foe from the rear,
Storm fort or redoubt, you had only to shout
for Abdul Abulbul Amir.

There were brave men aplenty
All well known to fame
Who served in the ranks of the Czar...

I always loved that little diddy but I could never quite get the cadence right.

But enough song and dance. War is the way life works. To survive we must fight and win! Remember, "victory is life." TO VICTORY!

Bob Dylan makes a simple point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw1f7LTzsd4

The best thing about this song is that it's misinterpreted constantly by patriots who believe that it's about god being on the side of America whereas in fact it's making the point that every army that has ever gone to war has claimed a god on their side.

'...and you never ask questions, when God's on your side'.

Unfortunately, Bob ruins it by labouring the point for, like, 27 verses,

My fave

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_VCX-Zdz5qA&feature=related

Join the Army, it's killer.

I prefer the oldies. Really old oldies.

The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him;
"Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard,
"Tho' all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy right shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

And who could forget Abdul Abulbul Amir?
The sons of the prophet
Were valiant and bold
And quite unaccustomed to fear
But of all the most reckless
Or so I am told
Was Abdul Abulbul Amir.

If you wanted a man to encourage the van,
Or harass the foe from the rear,
Storm fort or redoubt, you had only to shout
for Abdul Abulbul Amir.

There were brave men aplenty
All well known to fame
Who served in the ranks of the Czar...

I always loved that little diddy but I could never quite get the cadence right.

But enough song and dance. War is the way life works. To survive we must fight and win! Remember, "victory is life." TO VICTORY!
You know, your post and knowledge of old war songs might be a wee bit more impressive if you didn't copy them word from word from Star Trek The Next Generation.

10th Man Down by Nightwish (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y7VJX4OWLt4)
After much searching, I decided the JLU video is the only one that does it justice that won't earn me a ban for linking to excessive violence.

http://www.sovmusic.ru/english/download.php?fname=varyag

Varyag, the song about a plucky Russian ship that fought the Japanese in 1905. It's a plucky song itself, and definitely stands the test of time. It's so good, in fact, that it makes me wish I had some Russian ancestry in my blood.

http://www.basil-poledouris.com/basil/projects/reddawn/cover.jpg

Back in the day, we played this ALOT while playing wargames like Fortress America, Axis & Allies, or Diplomacy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0lE-YjjZhwc&feature=related

http://lyricwiki.org/Tom_Lehrer:It_Makes_A_Fellow_Proud_To_Be_A_Soldier

Unfortunately, the only version on youtube has star wars imagery. ;(

EDIT: I take it back -- there are better war songs by Tom lehrer (and they don't have SW!), such as So Long, Mom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklr0UD9eSo&feature=related)

Disturbed - Land of confusion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KW8DRSvEoQ

Rise up, huge country,
Rise up for a mortal fight!
With the the dark fascist force,
With the damn horde.

Let noble fury
Boil up like a wave
A people's war is going on,
A sacred war!

We'll give repulse to oppressors
Of all fervent ideas,
Rapists, robbers,
Tormentors of people.

Black wings don't dare
To fly over the homeland,
Her vast fields
The enemy doesn't dare to trample.

To the rotten fascist scum
We'll drive a bullet into the forehead,
For the rabble of humanity
We'll knock together a solid casket!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwM429rfnQo

Lowrider was probably War's best.

Status Quo FTW! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7H1HVzcuKQ)

Hey, I like The Minstrel Boy too, but what about the 2nd verse:
The minstrel fell, but the foeman's chain
could not bring his proud soul under,
The harp he loved ne'er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder,
And said "No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and bravery,
Thy song was made for the brave and free,
It shall never sound in slavery."

I also like "The Chariot" by The Cat Empire (ok, so it's an anti-war song) and "Zombie" by The Cranberries. There are probably heaps more, but I can't think of them atm :)

Rise up, huge country,
Rise up for a mortal fight!
With the the dark fascist force,
With the damn horde.

Let noble fury
Boil up like a wave
A people's war is going on,
A sacred war!

We'll give repulse to oppressors
Of all fervent ideas,
Rapists, robbers,
Tormentors of people.

Black wings don't dare
To fly over the homeland,
Her vast fields
The enemy doesn't dare to trample.

To the rotten fascist scum
We'll drive a bullet into the forehead,
For the rabble of humanity
We'll knock together a solid casket!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwM429rfnQo

Complete with the image of the Romanov double eagle.

You're so damn cute! I could just pinch you!

Spanish Civil War Song

Oh, say do you remember 25 years ago,
They fought the fascist army, they fought the fascist foe?
Do you remember Franco, Hitler's old ally?
He butchered Spain's democracy, half a million free men died.

Ai, ai, ai, ai--Did you wonder why?
Did you ever pause and cry?

And don't forget the churches and the
sad role that they played:
They crucified their people and worked the devil's trade;

But now the wounds are healing with the passing of time,
So we send them planes and rifles and recognize their crime.

Ai, ai, ai, ai--
Did you wonder why?
Did you ever pause and cry?

So spend your tourist dollars and turn your heads away.
Forget about the slaughter, it's the price we all must pay,
For now the world's in struggle, to win we all must bend:
So dim the light in Freedom's soul:
sleep well tonight, my friend.

Ai, ai, ai, ai--
Did you wonder why?
Did you ever pause and cry?

http://lyricwiki.org/Tom_Lehrer:It_Makes_A_Fellow_Proud_To_Be_A_Soldier

Unfortunately, the only version on youtube has star wars imagery. ;(

EDIT: I take it back -- there are better war songs by Tom lehrer (and they don't have SW!), such as So Long, Mom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklr0UD9eSo&feature=related)

You missed "Send The Marines!" from That Was The Year That Was :D

I think the sweetest and saddest song about war is "The Green Fields Of France" covered countless times by many different artists.........

"Well how do you do, young Willie McBride?
Do you mind if I sit here down by your grave side,
A rest for a while in the warm summer sun?
I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done.
I see by your gravestone that you were only 19
When you joined the great call up in 1916.
Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean.
Or, Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?

CHORUS:
Did they beat the drum slowly?
did they play the pipes lowly?
Did they play the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers of the Forest'?

Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined.
And although you died back in 1916,
In that faithful heart are you forever 19.
Or are you just a stranger without a name
Enclosed behind some glass-pane
In an old photograph, battered and stained
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame?

Did they beat the drum slowly?
did they play the pipes lowly?
Did they play the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers of the Forest'?

The sun, oh it shines on the green fields of France,
The warm summer brease makes the red poppies dance.
And look how the sun shines from under the clouds.
No gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard, it's still No Man's Land
And the countless white crosses in mute witness stand.
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man
To the whole generation that was butchered and downed.

Did they beat the drum slowly?
did they play the pipes lowly?
Did they play the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers of the Forest'? "

I think the sweetest and saddest song about war is "The Green Fields Of France" covered countless times by many different artists.........


In a similar vein...

A Pair of Brown Eyes

By Shane MacGowan (1985)

One summer evening drunk to hell
I stood there nearly lifeless
An old man in the corner sang
Where the water lilies grow
And on the jukebox Johnny sang
About a thing called love
And it's how are you kid and what's your name
And how would you bloody know?
In blood and death 'neath a screaming sky
I lay down on the ground
And the arms and legs of other men
Were scattered all around
Some cursed, some prayed, some prayed then cursed
Then prayed and bled some more
And the only thing that I could see
Was a pair of brown eyes that was looking at me
But when we got back, labeled parts one to three
There was no pair of brown eyes waiting for me

And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes

I looked at him he looked at me
All I could do was hate him
While Ray and Philomena sang
Of my elusive dream
I saw the streams, the rolling hills
Where his brown eyes were waiting
And I thought about a pair of brown eyes
That waited once for me
So drunk to hell I left the place
Sometimes crawling sometimes walking
A hungry sound came across the breeze
So I gave the walls a talking
And I heard the sounds of long ago
From the old canal
And the birds were whistling in the trees
Where the wind was gently laughing

And a rovin' a rovin' a rovin' I'll go
For a pair of brown eyes

You know, your post and knowledge of old war songs might be a wee bit more impressive if you didn't copy them word from word from Star Trek The Next Generation.
I knew those songs in their entirety before I saw the episodes that worked them into the stories. I really love it when a Trek writer throws in an old song.

I had to do a school project more than once on where my family comes from and one of them involved music from those countries. The "Folk Music of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and America (http://www.contemplator.com/folk.html)" and it's pages were very helpful since about half my family comes from England, Scotland and Ireland.

The songs I selected for my post were among my favorites in part because they appeared in Trek but they're also fine songs.

EDIT: I take it back -- there are better war songs by Tom lehrer (and they don't have SW!), such as So Long, Mom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pklr0UD9eSo&feature=related)
You just can't compete with pre-nostalgia. :D

Hey, I like The Minstrel Boy too, but what about the 2nd verse...I also like "The Chariot" by The Cat Empire (ok, so it's an anti-war song) and "Zombie" by The Cranberries. There are probably heaps more, but I can't think of them atm :)
And there is supposed to be a third but I'm not so fond of that one. Also, my copy of the lyrics says "pure and free" not "brave and free".

This is a great song, but the version I heard had an additional verse:

And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride,
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you "the Cause"?
Did you really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame
The killing and dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.

War songs? Huh. What are they good for?

Absolutely Nothing. (say It Again)

Complete with the image of the Romanov double eagle.

You're so damn cute! I could just pinch you!

All that is left here is to post link to "Red Army Blues" on YouTube :D


PS. How many people would bash me if I posted links to Manowar and "Panzer Battallion" by Sabaton? :)

PS. How many people would bash me if I posted links to Manowar and "Panzer Battallion" by Sabaton? :)

Post the link. I've never heard this song and I'm curious about it.

PS. I wouldn't bash you.:D

there good old favourite

Sod 'em all, sod 'em all,
The long and the short and the tall,
Sod all the sergeants and WO ones,
Sod all the corporals and their bastard sons,
For we're saying goodbye to them all,
As back to their billets they crawl,
You'll get no promotion
This side of the ocean,
So cheer up, my lads, sod 'em all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXnO_FxmHes

I always liked Bloody Sunday. The singer, not so much.

Any list of war songs without Blowin' in the Wind is incomplete, so that's my choice.

While I'm at it, I would also like to mention Eve of Destruction, the Barry McGuire version.

Click Stand;13703954']Any list of war songs without Blowin' in the Wind is incomplete, so that's my choice.

While I'm at it, I would also like to mention Eve of Destruction, the Barry McGuire version.

Oh I love both of those!

Let them ask you all one thing, what drives the war foward? The answer is the soldiers (http://youtube.com/watch?v=QLzUNDaF00U).

Post the link. I've never heard this song and I'm curious about it.

PS. I wouldn't bash you.:D

Here's Sabaton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUZdvypNNoM)

Manowar - Power of thy Sword (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMOhjSH0VnE) (However I was talking about basically anything of theirs)

Also, Andy's special (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsAvWMhJRSA) I mentioned earlier.

This one. Got banned at time of first gulf war

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89t0bP2xJc

"Only 19" by Redgum

"Soldier Son" System of A Down.

The German Army song "Panzerlied" is one of my favourites.

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4-tOqLH94)

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Trained to live off nature's land
Trained in combat, hand-to-hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage peak from the Green Berets (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLcoA8El3mI&feature=related)

Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TotLfLWnOMM&feature=related)

Put silver wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret.

Kâua i ka huahua
E `uhene lâ i pili ko`olua
Pukuku`i lua i ke ko`eko`e
Auwê ka hua`i lâ
`Auhea wale ana `oe
E ka`u mea e li`a nei
Mai hô`apa`apa mai `oe
O loa`a pono kâua
I aloha wau iâ `oe
I kâu hanahana pono
La`i a`e ke kaunu me ia la
Hô`apa`apai ka mana`o


(Hawaiian War Chant. Mind you, it has nothing to do with war, and isn't a chant. Which makes it all the better)

Disturbed - Land of confusion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KW8DRSvEoQ

Um... you know it's a Genesis tune, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MzShg7yXik

"Only 19" by Redgum

"Soldier Son" System of A Down.

Good tune by Redgum... have you heard "19" by Paul Hardcastle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGvqjVHik8

Um... you know it's a Genesis tune, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MzShg7yXik

The Genesis version rules... The spitting image puppets are used to perfection