Bugle Serenade 1975
Bugle Serenade: A Soldier's Reflection on War and Emptiness
Lyrics
Woke up the troops with a bugle serenade
Waking up soldiers with a bugle serenade
Blew from the gut but the ranks were never made
Playing passionately, but the military ranks were never established
Walkie talkie static from across the yard
Static on walkie-talkies heard from a distance
Rifles in a stack by the open gate
Rifles neatly arranged near an open gate
Rifles in a stack by the open gate. Oh!
Rifles arranged again, emphasizing the emptiness
Walkie talkie static from across the yard
Repetition of walkie-talkie static, maintaining a sense of distance
I went on patrol, didn't find a single head
Patrolling without encountering any soldiers
The enemies foxhole looks like a riverbed
Enemy's foxhole resembling a dry riverbed
What I thought was a private on a cannon was an empty uniform
Misinterpreting a figure as a soldier on a cannon, realizing it's an empty uniform
I ran home to the barracks
Returning to barracks
There was no one but on each bunk was an empty uniform
Finding empty uniforms on each bunk
Solitary soldier on a hill. Mercenary man with no one to kill
Describing a lone soldier on a hill, a mercenary without enemies to kill
Mercenary man with no one to kill. Oh!
Reiteration of a mercenary without a purpose
Solitary soldier on a hill
Repetition of a solitary soldier on a hill
I swear I shot him and I looked to see where I got him
Claiming to shoot someone, realizing it was an empty uniform
It was an empty uniform
Confirming the absence of a real target
I swear I shot him, I swear I got him
Repeating the realization of shooting an empty uniform
It was an empty uniform
Emphasizing the lack of a tangible enemy
A war is a war, and when it's no more
Reflecting on the nature of war and uniforms
A uniform is a fashion
Defining a uniform as a mere fashion after the war
It's a fashion!
Emphasizing the fashionable aspect of uniforms
Where is the line in the sand when the wind has blown?
Pondering the ambiguity of leadership and boundaries in the aftermath of war
Who are the leaders of men when they're on their own?
Raising questions about leadership during solitude
Hiding from a tank inside a tent
Seeking shelter from a tank inside a tent
Shooting at a tin can on a fence
Engaging in trivial activities like shooting at a tin can on a fence
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