War - edwin starr
lyrics
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again, y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
Ohhh, war, I despise
Because it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears
To thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go to fight
And lose their lives
I said, war, huh
Good God, y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing
But a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Ooooh, war
It's an enemy to all mankind
The point of war blows my mind
War has caused unrest
Within the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die
Aaaaah, war-huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it, say it, say it
War, huh
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War, it's got one friend
That's the undertaker
Ooooh, war, has shattered
Many a young mans dreams
Made him disabled, bitter and mean
Life is much to short and precious
To spend fighting wars these days
War can't give life
It can only take it away
Ooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War, friend only to the undertaker
Peace, love and understanding
Tell me, is there no place for them today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there's got to be a better way
Ooooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
You tell me
Say it, say it, say it, say it
War, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for
Stand up and shout it
Nothing
analysis
Many songs were created during the Vietnam War, many were pro-war and many were anti-war. Most of the lyrics in this song make it obvious that this song is meant to protest the war, especially the lines that say "War, huh, yeah, What is it good for, Absolutely nothing". This song attempts to portray the war as completely negative by focusing on everything that is lost during, or because of the war. One of the sections of the song that really stands out to me is the part that says "War means tears, To thousands of mothers eyes, When their sons go to fight, And lose their lives." I believe that this section of this song is really powerful because it carries a lot of emotion. It allows the listener to imagine the pain that a mother feels when she looses her son, and by saying "thousands of mothers eyes" makes the audience realize how many lives are lost in the war, and not only that but that there are many more people who are left mourning for their loved ones. This song is not in support of the foreign policies that were in place during the Vietnam War and this can be seen in the lines "They say we must fight to keep our freedom, But Lord knows there's got to be a better way". These lines prove that this song did not support neither the Truman Doctrine nor the Domino Theory. The Truman Doctrine stated that the United States would aid countries which were threatened by communism. According to the Domino Theory if one country fell into communism, a domino effect would occur, causing many other countries to fall into communism. The line that says "we must fight to keep our freedom," is referring to the fact that many believed we had to fight the war in Vietnam to prevent communism to spreading to the US, and the song disputes this logic with the line "but Lord knows there's got to be a better way". This song answers the question "How does war affect the individual?" with the lines "war, has shattered, Many a young mans dreams, Made him disabled, bitter and mean". These lines explain how a soldier can be changed in the war, both mentally and physically. I agree with the message in this song. I believe that there is other ways to resolve many of the issues that cause wars. These other ways might be troublesome and hard to imagine, but if there is a way to prevent the loss of lives and the pain that wars bring to many, then we must try to find this other way. Although many could argue that war has many benefits, I believe that none of these benefits can overpower the negative aspects of the war. I do believe that we should fight for our freedom, but I also believe that there has to be another way to do so without causing so much pain and suffering. The only thing left to do, is