Story Behind The Song

THIS IS WAR is a reaction to a true Iraq/American war story in which a 14 year old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered by American soldiers. There have been stories like it since the coming of Man and his Wars.

Song Description

Told from the perspective of an American soldier in Iraq. THIS IS WAR chronicles events based on a true story in which a 14 year old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered by several U.S. troops. The song is not a knock at American troops as you can tell by it

Lyrics

Just east of Baghdad orders were discreet
we were given crayons and told to mark our enemies
Shepard led patrol while i trailed the pack
someoneâ??s voice was whispering about suicide attacks
we walked into a home and a girl walked in
she was 14 years old holding a bottle of gin
she offered it to my troops who were already half lit
she said she didnâ??t want any trouble and to prove it hereâ??s a gift
we said if she didnâ??t want trouble then sheâ??d have to prove it more
then me and a couple of others blocked all the doors... this is war

they identified her body from itâ??s remains
sheâ??d been raped 7 times and thatâ??s half her age
her hands and feet were tied before they were burned
sheâ??d been alive for most of it according to what we learned
later at the barracks we played a game of suicide
we put a bullet in a gun then passed it around to see who died
I looked around at my dead friends and said Iâ??ve found a cure
then I put the trigger to my head and pulled until it poured... this is war

I turned to face my judge on the other side
but when i looked i saw the girl and froze up inside
I got down on my knees and I exclaimed
I donâ??t know how it could have happened I just cant explain
Then she walked up to me and helped me off the floor
She said itâ??s really very simple and itâ??s been done before... this is war