Lyrics for Disposable Heroes as interpreted by nikuku

Disposable Heroes Lyrics
Disposable Heroes

Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end
No one to play soldier now, no one to pretend
running blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all
Victim of what said should be
a servant `til I fall


Soldier boy, made of clay
now an empty shell
twenty one, only son
but he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
just do as we say
finished here, Greeting Death
he's yours to take away


Back to the front
you will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
you will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
you coward
you servant
you blindman


Barking of machinegun fire, does nothing to me now
sounding of the clock that ticks, get used to it somehow
More a man, more stripes you bare, glory seeker trends
bodies fill the fields I see
the slaughter never ends


Soldier boy, made of clay
now an empty shell
twenty one, only son
but he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
just do as we say
finished here, Greeting Death
he's yours to take away


Back to the front
you will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
you will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
you coward
you servant
you blindman

Why, Am I dying?
Kill, have no fear
Lie, live off lying
Hell, Hell is here


I was born for dying


Life planned out before my birth, nothing could I say
had no chance to see myself, molded day by day
Looking back I realize, nothing have I done
left to die with only friend
Alone I clench my gun


Soldier boy, made of clay
now an empty shell
twenty one, only son
but he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
just do as we say
finished here, Greeting Death
he's yours to take away


Back to the front
you will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
you will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
you coward
you servant
you blindman


Back to the front.

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nemesis
04-10-2002

Rated 0 
This song is about how war is glorified when, in reality, every soldier is a hero. And war isn't as 'cool' or glamorous as some people make it out to be.

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1 Reply
Jigokusabre
04-12-2002

Rated 0 
This is about how many people go into war with the desire to be heroic. In reality, most of them are an expendable commodity, used and abused for their ruler's ends.

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hell_i_call_my_head
04-16-2002

Rated 0 
kinda the same as no remorse...how war shatters innocence and lives "Barking of machinegun fire, does nothing to me now" see what i mean about shattered innocence? how much more shattered can you get?


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MrMojoRisin5552
05-02-2002

Rated +1 
I love this song because our government feeds us propaganda from the time we're born to think that being a soldier is so glamorous, but in reality the government doesn't give a shit out of any of us and every soldier is really just a disposable tool the buereaucratic machine exploits to get more money and then just throws it away, because there is an endless supply of disposable heroes. We all need to escape the governments mind control over us and think for ourselves. Just ask yourself what you're fighting for? Is it worth your life to maintain safety and prosperity for the rich and greedy? For the ones that make you 50 hours a week, holding a shitty wage over your head, and controlling your life with a dollar bill. The fact that they attempt to screw you in every situation possible? America brainwashes us to think we're fighting to maintain the great American way of life, but the "great American life" is a life of slavery.

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DisposableHero
05-11-2002

Rated 0 
Its about war in which the soldiers are just sent out to the front to die. There are so many soldiers that one death doesnt matter. BACK TO THE FRONT!

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Mhead
07-31-2002

Rated 0 
This is one of my all-time favorite songs from Metallica. It's fast, heavy and has deep meaning. I think this song talks about war and soldiers. This song is graphically stating images that a soldier sees in war and how it changes him along the way. Also, it shows the effects of drafting someone into the services and making them "bred to kill, not to care. Just do as we(government) say" Great song.

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4saken4
08-05-2002

Rated 0 
This song closes the mouth of all who say metallica have to deep meaning. Not like all the pop songs who talk about love and love and love. This is reality. I am not sure but the song can be against Bietnam

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weaselfierce
08-22-2002

Rated 0 
The song is about war in general I think. It could be ww1, ww2, korea, vietnam or any other modern conflict.

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Jagermeister
09-03-2002

Rated 0 
This song sounds along the same lines of a couple of their , "For whom the bell tolls" and "One" are along the same lines and are some of my favorite metallica songs. Disposable heros seems to be about how kids would rush off to war only to find death for their comrades and themselves

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seekandestroy916
04-24-2003

Rated 0 
first of all. if you don't like this country, then get the fuck out. second, this is a great song by my favorite band, it's about how terrible war really is, and how it's not what many are led to believe. but my opinion is, sometimes you have to fight for your country, or the rights of OTHERS. if you don't believe that, then you are selfish and ignorant.

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Sysys
07-05-2003

Rated 0 
this song has one of my favorite metallica solos....its damned amazing

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99bananas
07-05-2003

Rated 0 
I dont think this song is about any particular war per se, but more about the idea of the government making fighting for your country seem to be glorified.Either way, its a fast paced metal masterpiece with an awesome solo too. Definitely one of my favorite Metallica songs to play on guitar.

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TruthSpeaker
05-26-2004

Rated 0 
I really do think this is about the government brainwashing us. I mean... you see endless rows of ignorantly patriotic kids today. It is saying how the government glorifies war and being a patriot and fighting for you country, but in the end you become an unknown private who fought and died at the price of nothing except make-believe glory. (I don't hate america, I'm just saying what i think this song means.)

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pieroyin
11-16-2004

Rated 0 
what a fast song!really like being in the middle of the battlefield.yeah, about the soldiers treated like objects by the superiors without realizing theire actually human beings

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grungemonkey1990
01-01-2005

Rated 0 
Best. antiwar. song. ever.

maybe the best on master.

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metallicacrazed
01-09-2005

Rated 0 
This is an awsome song! The feelings/reality/truths, whatever you want to call them, can also be accuratly conveyed in a book i just recently read. The book and song, no in the least based on each other. But what is talked about in the song is basically what the book is about. Great read. "The Wars" by Timothy Findley.

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seinfeld
01-23-2005

Rated 0 
I once did a short essay on this song. I will just post that.

The song Disposable Heroes is a vivid description of the facade of glory created by the military for it’s young soldiers. It opens eyes to the true ways of war, and denial of a future for said adolescents. The sole purpose of these atrocities is for the government to sustain authoritative status while the pawns are quickly devoured and forgotten. The functions carried out by these figures all work to operate a well-oiled machine.
Auguste Comte would analyze the structure set by Disposable Heroes in classic functionalist fashion. The song could be applied directly to society as a whole. Those with power take its citizens’ children and send them off to war in order to uphold their own position. When presented with a folded American flag, their parents will be told their loved ones died in a selfless act of patriotism and that their deeds will never be forgotten. Such an act will lead parents to believe their children died for a just cause, and not over petty politics.
In the song, it would appear that the soldiers are led into the battlefield with a John Wayne attitude. They believe that they can bypass the guts and feast upon the glory. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Only when met with the cruel reality of what war is can a trained killer once again recognize a fragile human’s reflection in the mirror, and feel an emotion such as fear. At this point, it is too late for any comfort, as they are met in fierce combat where it is kill or be killed.
As the song approaches it’s ending, the soldier on the frontline questions his very existence. He has failed to grasp the reason he has been condemned to such a fate. Reminiscing what he was trained to do, he realizes his promise of glory was nothing more then a pipe dream. He finally reaches his only reality: “Hell is here.” Here, the lyrics take on a new form when the authority governing over these disposable heroes speaks. Relinquishing the soldier’s emotion, he is ordered “back to the front” to fulfill his duty as property of the government.
Disposable Heroes is a prime example of how the lower level of society is brainwashed in order to serve those in control. When one doesn’t have much going for them, the idea of honor and glory can be very appealing. The government sugarcoats the idea of war, and manipulates citizens into thinking its wars are also theirs. While the government remains intact, families, friendships, marriages, and lives are left to become unhinged and collapse. If not for these disposable heroes, the rest of society would fall as well.

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metallica_man
02-09-2005

Rated 0 
i love this song one of my fav's of metallica war really sux and this song shows that in so many words and the guitar is awsome like all metallica songs there the kind ya know but lets not forget about the song war is wrong when you could settle something with just talking but you have to send the future genaration out to die i'd like to see the presdient go out to the front in iraq today i'd love to set up a huge sound system in the white house and blast this through the whole place with moniters showing the words so they can just how horrible they are

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dasquien!
04-22-2005

Rated 0 
Back to the front
you will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
you will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
you coward
you servant
you blindman

i feel this is one of the most important songs written by almost any band.....extremely depressing yet necessary

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Bullzeye
05-12-2005

Rated 0 
In Don't Tread on Me, they say "To secure peace is to prepare for war", but based on this song they either had a 180-degree change of heart or are somehow confused about how ALL wars, even righteous ones, get won.

As an Army infantryman, I can tell you that anyone with an IQ over 60 and a decent set of morals who goes Infantry knows he's just a tool in the end.

Yes, the Army lies and manipulates their soldiers, but fact of the matter is, there's no consolation prizes in war. Infantrymen allow themselves to be fed propaganda and bullshit machismo because planned ignorance is the only way to build soldiers who can win. The truth about war would destroy most men's motivation before they even reached the battlefield.

Those of us who are smart enough know this before we sign up, and we accept it as best we can. That's our unique burden to bear. And boy, does it suck.

We get the shittiest, nastiest, most dangerous and undesirable job in the Army, and our one benefit is to be able to say: "I did it because it needed to be done, and I was the only one who would do it."

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River Wolf
05-14-2005

Rated 0 
This song is brilliant, powerful, and true. Too many young people are bullshitted by mindless nationalistic progoganda. They run off to troubled area of the world and fight, believing that they're being heoric and doing the right thing when in reality they've only been fucked over by idiot like Bush who are doing this kinda shit right now.

Anti-Flag have a good song about this kinda stuff called ANATOMY OF YOUR ENEMY

Anatomy of Your Enemy by ANti-Flag

10 easy steps to create an enemy and start a war: Listen closely because we will all see this weapon used in our lives. It can be used on a society of the most ignorant to the most highly educated. We need to see their tactics as a weapon against humanity and not as truth.

First step: create the enemy. Sometimes this will be done for you.

Second step: be sure the enemy you have chosen is nothing like you. Find obvious differences like race, language, religion, dietary habits fashion. Emphasize that their soldiers are not doing a job, they are heatless murderers who enjoy killing!

Third Step: Once these differences are established continue to reinforce them with all disseminated information.

Fourth Step: Have the media broadcast only the ruling party's information. This can be done through state run media. This can also be achieved through the use of flags. Remember, in times of conflict all for-profit media repeats the ruling party's information. Therefore all for-profit media becomes state-run.

Fifth step: show this enemy in actions that seem strange, militant, or different. Always portray the enemy as non-human, evil, a killing machine.

Chorus:
THIS IS HOW TO CREATE AN ENEMY. THIS IS HOW TO START A WAR. THIS IS HOW TO CREATE AN ENEMY.

Sixth step: Eliminate opposition to the ruling party. Create an "Us versus Them" mentality. Leave no room for opinions in between. One that does not support all actions of the ruling party should be considered a traitor.

Seventh step: Use nationalistic and/or religious symbols and rhetoric to define all actions. This can be achieved by slogans such as "freedom loving people versus those who hate freedom." This can also be achieved by the use of flags.

Eighth step: Align all actions with the dominant deity. It is very effective to use terms like, "It is god's will" or "god bless our nation.

Ninth step: Design propaganda to show that your soldiers have feelings, hopes, families, and loved ones. Make it cleat that your soldiers are doing a duty; they do not want or like to kill.

Tenth step: Create and atmosphere of fear, and instability and then offer the ruling party as the only solutions to comfort the public's fears. Remembering the fear of the unknown is always the strongest fear.

Chorus (repeat)We are not countries. We are not nations. We are not religions. We are not gods. We are not weapons. We are not ammunition. We are not killers. We will NOT be tools.
Motherfucker
i will not die
i will not kill
i will not be your slave
i will not fight your battle
i will not die on your battlefield
i will not fight for your wealth
i am no a fighter
i am a human being

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emmerder
05-29-2005

Rated 0 
Anyone else find it funny that this is what Ulrich did to Hetfield? This was one of the last songs that got written before Metallica was neutered.

Think about it. When these bands got started, they were all pretty young. I mean, Death Angel had like 12-year old members. Many of them lacked technical skill but they made up for it in emotion. For a while in the 80's, the thrash scene was glorified, but once the trend ended, many either disbanded or sold out. In the middle of the 90's, what did thrash metal have to show for all its hard work the decade before? Overkill, and... yeah, just Overkill.

If you look at early Metallica lyrics, they were pretty gung-ho about just being metal and rocking out. Of course, Dave Mustaine may have had a lot to do with that, and since he didn't follow orders, they kicked him out (of course the most obvious rebuttal to this point is the Risk album, but anyway...).

This song prophecized what was to come for the band. The next Metallica was ...And Justice For All, which had the technical skill that I mentioned had previously been lacking in thrash in general, but compared to Ride The Lightning, it was damn boring. By the time the Black Album came out, they were no longer a thrash metal band. Now, I personally think it was a fine album, but you can't argue that Metallica still felt the glory of the old days.

I suppose there's a ray of hope in the dismal lyrics of this song contained within the metaphor I applied to it in that a bunch of bands are reuniting and releasing new albums. But then again the only ones able to do it as well as they used to are Maiden and Motorhead (and I haven't heard the new Priest). Looking forward to the new Dark Angel and Sadus though.

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friskitty
06-08-2005

Rated 0 
This song really speaks to the passifist in me. There is no excuse for any war and there have never been any good or "holy" wars. (with the possible exceptions of wwII -liberating the Jews- and the star wars trilogies --both of them)
Lyrics like "soldiar boy, made pf clay now an empty shell. 21 only son but he served us well" speak of the callousness of army officials and commanders- in- chief whose only motivation are greed and power. Metallica has always been a band of substance and this song is just one example.
No one should hide under patriotism as an excuse to take away human life. Patriotism breeds nationalism which is a fancy word for racism.
This song cuts through the treacle and shows just what it is really like out there on the battle field.
Props to Metallica for putting this out there and getting to the heart of the matter

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Philadelphia Eagles
06-25-2005

Rated 0 
The sad thing with most soldiers is; when they fight in wars with no heroic justification (like korea, vietnam, iraq), they are not heroes. Why would you volunteer to put your life on the line just so the snobs who run the government can get richer? The American government spits out so much propaganda most people believe they will die for freedom, which is not the case. Why would you want to die for someone you don't know? I sure as hell wouldn't. I wouldn't give up anything I own, much less my life, for some of the fucking, shit-for-brains, snobs that plague this country.

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EagleEye1
07-27-2005

Rated 0 
I agree 100% with all of you that say its about how the gov. feeds us propoganda and shit and makes us believe us and our fellow soldiers are dieing on the front lines and in reality they dont give a fuck about us and what we need or feel all they care about is getting richer.. thats all this is about

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