Rise Against - Hero of War

I think this song is incredible. What I need to know is how did they know how to write with such in-depth experience of the situations they speak of? If anything this song is not so much as an eye opener...if it is then please follow my former instructions with regards to pulling your head out... these things always happen in war. Is it a real shock... that is why we teach history. So lest we forget we are doomed to repeat again and again....it is obvious that a single generation gap is all that is required to forget the horrors of war in America. This generation is shocked by what this war has dealt upon the world and their fellow citizens and innocent people effected by the war... yet ask anyone from the Vietnam era and they will tell you that this is not all the different than the war in south east Asia during the 60's & early 70's. So why do we not teach this next generation the horrors of Vietnam & The War in Iraq? Lets teach them the real horrors of the war and the truth and the ugliness of the war. This way we might be able to break the ugly chain of war that keeps creeping up every second generation or so?

I think perhaps the most moving part of this song is ‘she collapsed with a flag in her hand, a flag white as snow’. The white flag, of course a symbol of surrender, also has a sense of purity and innocence about it. The fact that a woman is carrying the flag further portrays this point, so in a sense, this soldier has not only killed the messenger of peace but peace itself. Quite an emotive song and certainly presents a confronting theme about some aspects of war but more so the sarcastic undertones of the glorification of war by the driving force of soldiers to become heroes.

The songs has an music video but i chose to not show it first because i think that the video let the song down though.. better to listen to the lyrics and imagine a video in your head, first listen to the song and lyrics then if you want you can see the music video to...



music video link