They sent us all to war,
They told us to be ready to fight.
But all they really cared about,
Was if we were ready to die.
It's called the Great War; I guess I know why,
'Cause it was so big, and so many died.
Like me, yeah I'm just a ghost,
Coming back from the past just to pass you a note,
And pass on what I know, yeah I've seen a lot,
I've seen soldiers line up, and seen 'em drop.
Where should I begin? What was the meaning?
Those who don't remember mistakes repeat 'em.
And why'd it happen? I'mma sound out the reasons,
First, all these European states were scheming.
Imperialism – they wanted to expand,
Control people, control land.
Plus they had new ships and guns,
Militarism – that's how these nations spending their funds.
And they had alliances and pacts,
Like if you punch him, I'mma punch you back.
And the people just cheer and grin,
Nationalism, everyone wants their team to win.
Yeah, it was like a bomb set to blow,
Was it inevitable? Well that's debated,
But when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated,
The camel's back broke, that was the last straw.
One domino goes down, they all fall,
Like…
I saw my best friend die,
But I still see him,
He's right there by my side. (x2)
I hope you're ready for more,
Propaganda's all over; they're selling the war,
Telling us all lies to enlist us,
Saying we would return to our loved ones by Christmas.
We were so amped – thought war was harmless,
How can you hug your family when you're armless?
Stuck in a
trench like a baseball dugout,
But when they get a hit, we have to pull a slug out.
And back home, they're eating rations,
Just a little food that has to last.
In Total War, we're all playing our parts,
Women in factories making our parts.
African armies, colonial soldiers,
All fight in Europe; they're following orders.
New technology vs. old tactics,
That means the whole death toll is massive.
New weapons, they're killing us fast with,
Submarines, tanks, and poisonous gasses,
Big guns that go ratatatat,
Machine gun fire make a boy fall flat.
It's not all quiet on the Western Front,
Nor the Eastern front, I won't even front.
I'm so shell-shocked I don't speak for months,
They might ship me in a box to my grieving mom.
I'm scared, I'm cold, soaked through my coat,
Four years later, a little hope.
Armistice, the fire ceased,
Then the Treaty of Versailles meant peace.
They cut up Eastern Europe, put shackles on Germany.
“Think that'll work out?” Certainly!
At least this was the “War to End War,”
We'll never have another world war, for sure…
I saw my best friend die,
But I still see him,
He's right there by my side. (x2)