Chords
Hero Of War

Hero of War by Rise Against addresses a young soldiers experiences and reflections on warfare, emphasizing the moral dilemmas and devastating consequences of combat. It serves as a critique of warfare and the recruitment of young soldiers, suggesting a setting where idealism meets the brutal reality of the battlefield.

Key: E

Introduction:

     E                       G#m 
..."Son, have you seen the world?
                      A 
Well, what would you say
                    E 
If I said that you could?
                 A 
Just carry this gun,
                 E 
You' ll even get paid.".
                            B 
I said "That sounds pretty good."

               E 
Black leather boots,
                 G#m 
Spit-shined, so bright.
                 A 
They cut off my hair,
                E 
But it looks alright.
                   A 
We marched and we sang.
               E 
We all became friends,
                      B 
As we learned how to fight.

           C#m 
A hero of war!
                        A 
Yeah, that' s what I' ll be.
                 E 
And when I come home,
                          B 
They' ll be damn proud of me.
                 C#m 
I' ll carry this flag 
                     A 
To the  grave, if I must.
                           E 
' Cause it' s a flag that I love
                    B 
And it' s flag that  I trust.

                 E 
I kicked in the door,
             G#m 
I yelled my commands.
                    A 
The children, they cried,
              E 
But I got my man.
             A 
We took him away,
                E 
A bag over his face,
                         B 
From his family and his friends.

                   E 
They took off his clothes,
                    G#m 
They pissed in his hands.
                A 
I told them to stop,
                    E 
But then, I joined in.
                  A 
We beat him with guns
                      E 
And batons, not just once,
                B 
But again and again.

           C#m 
A hero of war!
                        A 
Yeah, that' s what I' ll be.
                 E 
And when I come home,
                          B 
They' ll be damn proud of me.
                 C#m 
I' ll carry this flag 
                     A 
To the  grave, if I must.
                           E 
' Cause it' s a flag that I love
                    B 
And I flag that  I trust.

    E                           G#m 
...walked through bullets and haze.
                A 
I asked her to stop 
                 E 
I begged her to stay.
                 A 
But she pressed on,
                E 
So I lifted my gun
             B 
And I fired away...

         E 
And the shells
                    G#m 
Jumped through the smoke.
              A 
And into the sand,
                        E 
That the blood now had soaked,
         A 
She collapsed,
                    E 
With a flag in her hand.
                 B 
A flag white as snow.

           C#m 
A hero of war!
                   A 
Is that what they see?
                E 
Just medals and scars?
                  B 
So damn proud of me.
                         C#m 
And I brought home that flag.
                A 
Now it gathers dust.
                        E 
But it' s a flag that I love.
                      B 
It' s the only flag I trust.

          E                       G#m 
He said "Son, have you seen the world?
                      A 
Well, what would you say
                    E 
If I said that you could?"
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