Universal Soldier
The Unseen Battle: A Reflection on War's Faceless Warriors
Lyrics
He's five-foot-two and he's six-feet-four
Contradiction in physical attributes, suggesting his varied identities and roles.
He fights with missiles and with spears
Highlights the variety of weapons used throughout history.
He's all of thirty-one and he's only seventeen
Age discrepancy symbolizing the youth often involved in warfare.
He's been a soldier for a thousand years
Metaphorical portrayal of enduring, continuous conflict across time.
He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
Illustrates the soldier's diverse religious affiliations.
A Buddhist, and a Baptist and a Jew
Further emphasizes the soldier's religious diversity.
And he knows he shouldn't kill
Awareness of the moral implications of killing.
And he knows he always will kill
Recognition of the inevitability of killing despite moral conflict.
You for me my friend and me for you
Expresses the reciprocal nature of combat and sacrifice.
And he's fighting for Canada
Represents fighting for various nations.
He's fighting for France
Continued portrayal of fighting for different countries.
He's fighting for the USA
Further depiction of fighting for national causes.
And he's fighting for the Russians
Expands the soldier's involvement in fighting for different nations.
And he's fighting for Japan
Continues to highlight the soldier's multinational role in warfare.
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
Ironically questions the efficacy of fighting for peace through warfare.
And he's fighting for democracy
Representation of fighting for ideological concepts like democracy.
He's fighting for the Reds
Depicts fighting for opposing ideologies (Reds symbolizing communism).
He says it's for the peace of all
Claims altruistic motives for the soldier's actions.
He's the one who must decide
Emphasizes the soldier's role as the decision-maker in life and death situations.
Who's to live and who's to die
He's responsible for choosing who survives and who dies.
And he never sees the writing on the wall
Metaphorically implies ignorance or refusal to acknowledge impending disaster.
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau
Highlights the soldier's crucial role in history (reference to Hitler and Dachau).
Without him Caesar would've stood alone
Illustrates the pivotal role of soldiers in historical events (reference to Caesar).
He's the one who gives his body as the weapon of the war
Depiction of the soldier's body as a weapon in war.
And without him, all this killing can't go on
Implies the necessity of soldiers for perpetuating conflict.
He's the universal soldier and he really is to blame
Characterizes the soldier as universally responsible for the consequences of war.
His orders come from far away no more
Shifts responsibility away from distant authorities, placing it on collective humanity.
They come from him and you and me
Indicates that orders for war don't solely come from distant sources but also from ordinary individuals.
And brothers, can't you see
Challenges the prevailing notion of using soldiers as the solution for ending war.
This is not the way we put an end to war?
Rhetorical question, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the current approach to ending war.
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