Gareth Jones Songs

A MODERN KIND OF SOLDIER

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I’m fighting in a country, and I don’t know what it’s for

I’m a modern kind of soldier in a modern kind of war

 

Lying in a foxhole in a hot and desert land

It’s just like in the trenches, without the rats and damp

The shells land just behind us, they almost hit our tanks. Some are from the Taliban, and some are from the Yanks.

 

And I’m fighting……

 

I cannot see my enemy he blends in with the crowd.

He may be only fourteen, but he still stands tall and proud

He has a mobile telephone on which he rings his mum.

It hangs besides the bandolier of his automatic gun.

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And I’m fighting..…

 

And it seems the threat is present and maybe still unclear from suicidal bombers, undersexed and over here.

I wait for body armour, it’s coming from Supplies

I hope that when it gets here, I’ll be still alive.

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And I’m fighting…..

 

They told me that this conflict would be played out on TV And it’s all because they couldn’t find those WMD

I’m hot, and I am tired, and I want to have a beer,

But the blood is fresh upon my hands,

And the gunfire’s getting near

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And I’m fighting….

 

For the legacy of Premiers, for the ego of the President,

For the bloodlust of the generals:

That’s what I’m fighting for

For the thrill of execution,

For the buzz of persecution

For it’s better than a Play-Station:

That’s what I’m fighting for.

For saving huddled masses in the war against the terrorists

For liberty and freedom:

That’s what I’m fighting for.

For my Queen and for my country,

For my fellows and my comrades

For the glory of the regiment:

That’s what I’m fighting for

For my brothers and my sisters,

For my family and children

For the love of all my neighbours:

That’s what I’m fighting for

For food and board and lodgings,

For the chance to have a future

For five pounds ten an hour:

That’s what I’m fighting for……

 

And I’m fighting in a country, and I don’t know what it’s for

I’m a modern kind of soldier in a modern kind of war….