You are all entitled to your own interpretations, but the song is actually about school shootings and not the military. Read this article:. According to singer/guitarist Dexter Holland, the song is about school shootings.[4] This is supported by the closing lyrics "and you can all hide behind your desks now/and you can cry teacher come help me". Lead guitarist Kevin 'Noodles' Wasserman elaborated on this, stating that the initial lyrics are from the perspective of a soldier who believes that everything he does is for the greater good - "take a life that others may live". He is affected by a huge force (Hammerhead - "it hammers in my head") in his mind that makes him deluded.[5] The true nature of the song - that the narrator is actually a school shooter - is only revealed towards the end.