We hardly know one end of a gun from the other, when we first go to war
We’re too young at a tender age even to know what the meaningless fighting is for
Troops sent to the front line don’t usually have very long lives
Sadly many of them won’t ever return to their homes or their wives
War is the ultimate act of aggression and often starts out as some madman’s obsession
We clash over land, kill for its possession
And end as mere facts in a history lesson
Generals don’t fight, yet are covered in glory, for us it’s the end of our story
The rules of war supposedly signify civilisation, but bombs only bring devastation
Mothers lose sons, and lovers are parted, and only the arms dealers ain’t broken-hearted
Warfare for them means cash in the bank
They don’t care how many soldiers died in a tank or how many battleships sank
In truth, no one really wins any war
The world just staggers on from the last to the next
Young lives are lost, ancient buildings are wrecked
Alliances spring up and treaties are signed, agreements are made but seldom are kept
Everyone claims to want peace, but very few seem to achieve it
All countries declare that God’s on their side, but it’s sometimes quite hard to believe it
Destroying ourselves and our planet is simply insane
When will we cease from inflicting such pain?
David Aitken
