Hero Of War lyrics by Rise Against, 13 meanings. Hero Of War explained, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Rise Against – Hero Of War lyrics

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Rise Against – Hero Of War 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

And 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 they 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?"
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Songwriters: BRANDON BARNES, JOSEPH PRINCIPE, TIMOTHY MCILRATH, ZACH BLAIR
Hero Of War lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Corrected by Paintballerevan

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Hero Of War meanings Post my meaning

  • k
    + 9
    Koewers 2009-03-27 17:21:16
    This song has so many different meanings, me being a soldier myself knows how this feels, even though we kill, torture, murder these people, when we get back home people see us as heros of war, we arent heros we are robots doing what we are told to do. But no matter what we have to do we will always stand by our flag and our country to save the lives of our fellow citizens this song made me cry the first time I heard it just because I know what he is talking about, my father being in the National guard has explained this to me and my brother in the Marine Corp, and me being in the army, we understand the meaning and it hits real close to home.
    1 reply
  • U
    + 4
    Unregistered 2012-05-28 15:08:09
    War (including the anti-drug type & derivatives) is marketing for arms profiteers. They trick us into living in fear of inflated enemies, causing us to relinquish our savings & lives to them. They kill innocents to create a perpetual stream of enemies seeking justice & retribution (as would you) keeping the world in flames & suffering. Will they be stopped? Someday, yes. But only after we awake (as is now happening) to their lies & learn how to overcome (by sharing our discoveries) the fear that supports them & ways to resist & overcome their inertia with peaceful & productive ways to expend wealth. They have bankrupted, not only the global economy, but revealed their method (derivatives) of concentrating wealth in increasingly fewer hands. Neither they, their (trained in fantasy) forebears, nor their minions (us) who support them, can long survive on their objective of accumulation for its own sake.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered 2012-05-28 15:15:11
    War what will replace the weaponeer, bankster, resource theft oligarchy? Democratic movements that learn how to (re)instate self-regulation that identifies such self-destructive human tendencies (greed, envy, sloth, timerity) & encourages the positive aspects of our individual & collective ability. That's right, that means you! Setting aside your fears of jeopardizing your meager status quo & making a personal commitment to oppose their (the L. T. 0. 1%) media manipulation & madness. It is true, that the people united can (as democratic movements have oft proven) & must prevail against those who contrive to posess & control all (as they now & increasingly do) & supplant them with rational, humanity/environment supportive & productive ways to exist. The only? Is how much worse must things get, before we, the people, overcome the myths that corporations & religious sects goody upon us & come to our senses in active opposition. The only certainty is the longer such "awakenings" are deferred, the more violent & destructive (of the "nothing" constructs built by the weaponeers, E. G. , f-22/35) will be seen, before a transition society is made. Warning! That transition will likely be fascist (e. G. , through corporate statism/personhood) in nature, which is the immediate challenge to democracy, unless the majority of us now overcome our fears & tries (it only takes trying, you know?) by whatever our individually meager means (like voting) to resist the current doom.
    Add your reply
  • r
    + 3
    Rocker960 2010-03-30 22:32:50
    I think there's really no right or wrong answer to these songs. That's what makes Rise Against so unique: They let you interpret the songs however you want. I personally think it's about a soldier who was simply following orders, a man who has had no choice but to do what his superiors told him. A man who has seen so much bs that all he can really trust is his country (it really isn't specified). But I moslty agree with Moxxat, why are people willing to let people be mistreated like that? But I mean, what do I know? I'm just a kid, and I'm not even American. I'm only 14, for crying out loud. But that doesn't mean I can't have a grown up opinion.
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  • 3
    + 3
    308CoverToConcealment 2009-10-17 20:08:03
    I agree with bulletfan4life that flag he refurs to in the last chorus, the flag is the American flag and how he knows that he has done rong but the flag has been there threw right and wrong. If he did not see the flag he made the right choice to fire or she may have killed him so in this case I feel as tho he has done the right thing.
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  • b
    + 3
    bulletfan4life 2009-08-28 01:14:46
    You are wrong. I am a United States Marine, and the flag he talks about is the American flag. The chorus is about the American flag that the soldier carries, but the verse is about a woman who approaches the soldier with her white flag (that wasn't visible to him originally) and he procedes to fire thinking she is a threat. After the gunfire stops, the woman lies dead, and then he realizes she was holding a white flag. People may consider him a hero at home, but he knows that there was nothing heroic about what he did. After all that, he still trusts in the American Flag, which is the true sign of a hero.
    Add your reply
  • m
    + 3
    mooseking420 2009-03-23 13:52:01
    This song really struck me when I first listened to it. I was taken aback by the story that was told about all the deeds the soldier had done. Its an anti-war song and paints a vivid picture of one american and what he has done in the war, and though however terrible his acts were, he still says its the end its a flag that I love and a flag that I trust meaning he would still die for his country and friends.
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  • U
    + 2
    Unregistered 2011-12-23 00:47:08
    War is not full of glory full of pain a hero is every man and women fighting for are country's leaving everything behind family children mothers fathers brothers and sisters to fight for are country's to fight to free others. But with war it cause pain, loss, moral but with war it brings the worst in people it brings the evil to the surface. The terror to the streets. The pain of loss to family's. The pain of loss to the soldiers. War shouldn't be classed as heroic. Heroes are everywhere.
    Add your reply
  • a
    + 2
    AnarchistAccountant 2010-08-13 03:43:33
    This theme has been repeated often. Sky Pilot, Born in the usa, Brothers in Arms. All express that feeling of what is sold, the hero's role bestowed by fighting for your flag. But what many soldiers come to realize is that there is a fine line between belief in your country and blind nationalism. It becomes horribly easy to be drawn into a situation that crosses that line, and that is far from heroic.
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  • m
    + 2
    mixxat 2009-12-27 06:34:27
    Bulletfan4life I feel sad for you thinking that stand by that country is the heroic thing to do!
    The song is about many things and how he wants others to be proud of him so he joins the army, then s*t happends and at the end he leaves that flag to collect dust, couse hes not proud of it, and ask why are people proud of this? Its the only thing he got in that life!
    Its al the same in al countrys its made of guns and its al we got! The real heroes make people survive from death, not killing them! And in the end of song the question comes up what wuld you say?
    Human life is the reason we want to live, not flags! And why musst someone die to make me a hero?
    Add your reply
  • u
    + 1
    usaman 2010-07-24 06:16:04
    The flag white as snow confused me at first, but then I realized, she was surrendering. Maybe. She wanted peace, the color white symbolizes peace. And it was his order to shoot anybody. So then he just felt so horrible when he realizes this woman, that he couldn't trust, wanted peace, and wanted the war to end. And innocent woman.
    I have so much respect for the military and army.
    Add your reply
  • g
    + 1
    gotnill 2009-11-09 22:16:20
    Meanings is all opinion based so no one can be "wrong" only view things in a different manner. My interpretation is that, the man takes the peace flag, because of its symbolism, Over years this world has seen many countries, The usa will rise and fall, as has the other countries, but the main thing that has remained the same throughout history is the sybolism that white has, as it has been a sign and marking of peace and surrendering for most if not all societies and cultures, and quite frankly it doesn't matter if your an American Marine or not, it doesn't give you divine realization or makes your opinion any more heavily weighted than any one else. So this is how I interpret it.
    Add your reply
  • n
    0
    ns4eva 2009-03-20 17:56:23
    I think its more of a cop out at the uncle sam american soldier. It implies, soldiers may think they are helping other less fortunate people in this world, and more significantly, doing a good deed, but really the things they do don't help the world, just doing further damage. And its not the soldiers suffering from the 'negativity' of war, but its the people who they affect by being, a "hero of war". So inevitably, there is no such thing, as a "hero of war".
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    • k
      + 9
      Koewers
      This song has so many different meanings, me being a soldier myself knows how this feels, even... Read more →
    • U
      + 4
      Unregistered
      War (including the anti-drug type & derivatives) is marketing for arms profiteers. They trick us... Read more →
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    [Intro][Verse][Pre-Chorus][Chorus][Hook][Bridge][Outro]