RadioDoc wrote: 
To each his own, eh? I think this is a very powerful song.

 RadioDoc wrote: 
Agree.  I've heard the demo version (it's out there somewhere) and the spareness makes the song electrifying.

 bindi wrote: 
Agreed.

Pretentious clap trap.

Reminds me of grandfather. 

Lyrical content aside, the production on this is like chalkboard fingernails to me.  That auto-tune mechanical drone on each note (or whatever it is) completely distracts me from the tune and message.  This would be more powerful without the studio tricks.

As Veterans' Day approaches, I would like to thank all those who have served to protect me and my family...to those still serving, God speed you home safely.

It's a good song...it just needs streamlining a little....less is more and it would sound more emotive.

I like the concept and some of the lyrics, and the thought of a grandfather speaking from the grave -  but somehow the "final product" comes off sounding really bad to me - more like a 5th grade essay than a great song.

The song was timely this morning here in the East, with news that two more of our Canadian fellows were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. More than 120 soldiers have died over there since this ridiculous "peace-keeping" mission that our government keeps promoting and defending. Peace-keeping, my ass. Cowardly killing by the Taliban - hidden bombs; no soldier has a chance. I've been to all the repatriation ceremonies at CFB Trenton since last November. I'm 20 minutes away from the base; no excuse for any Canadian citizen NOT to be there to welcome home these boys no matter what we believe in terms of the mission. You see these families in pain, the caskets carried from the plane by the soldiers' comrades, tears streaming down their faces. Indeed, war IS in colour.

 coyote620 wrote: 
...As does the subject matter:

War is a Racket!

The lyrics are better than vocals, but you should watch the video too.

I see you've found a box of my things -
Infantries, tanks and smoldering airplane wings.
These old pictures are cool. Tell me some stories
Was it like the old war movies?
Sit down son. Let me fill you in

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the flash of a gun to a soldier who's done
Trust me grandson
The war was in color

From shipyard to sea, From factory to sky
From rivet to rifle, from boot camp to battle cry
I wore the mask up high on a daylight run
That held my face in its clammy hand
Crawled over coconut logs and corpses in the coral sand

Where to begin? Let¹s start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
From the shock of a shell or the memory of smell
If red is for Hell
The war was in color

I held the canvas bag over the railing
The dead released, with the ship still sailing,
Out of our hands and into the swallowing sea
I felt the crossfire stitching up soldiers
Into a blanket of dead, and as the night grows colder
In a window back home, a Blue Star is traded for Gold.

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo don't capture the skin
When metal is churned. And bodies are burned
Victory earned
The War was in color

Now I lay in my grave at age 21
Long before you were born
Before I bore a son
What good did it do?
Well hopefully for you
A world without war
A life full of color

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo never captured my skin
Once it was torn from an enemy thorn
Straight through the core
The war was in color

Where to begin? Let's start with the end
This black and white photo never captured my skin
From the flash of a gun, to a soldier who's done
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color
Trust me Grandson,
The war was in color

This song just drags on and on and on and on.

Perfect song for this weekend, the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, where on the beaches of Normandy so many allied soldiers were lost.  Go watch the first 15 minutes of 'Saving Private Ryan', and get the tiniest inkling of what happened.  Rest in peace, gentlemen.

 Hinkamp wrote: 
I was just about to come say something similar to this. It's odd, because I really do NOT like Crash Test Dummies, yet I find Carbon Leaf somewhat palatable. Still not one of my typical music choices, but at least I don't reach for the mute button when they come on like I do when CTD does.

 toterola wrote: 
We should hang out. I'll bring the Wild Turkey my friend.

Roverfish wrote:

As I pray for my children as well, the oldest of whom returned from Iraq last year with a very different view of the world, indeed. As we sat on the pontoon boat and fished for catfish and drank beer, he said "NOW I know what you were talking about ..."

alph wrote:
Well, you're right. Does that make you feel better?
As long as there are plutocrats/corporatists willing to fund "proxy" wars, it's gonna keep happening, too.

Steve Earle speaks simply and eloquently to this subject with his song "Rich Man's War".

Do your homework, kids. We're gonna be fighting for China before it's over, and you will need a passport and a sympathetic country to get away from it. I know this sounds like an old man's bullsh*t, but diesel was 88 cents a gallon in 1998, and we thought we were all gonna be rich.

Keep your eyes open, and don't trust anyone. Including me.

rogerclark wrote:

Respect, eh? So how come is it that the Natl. Gaurd, which was traditionally used for domestic needs including helping people recover from natural disasters, and was traditionally the way for people to serve who didn't want to be in wars as they were usually brought in as a last resort, how come is it that the Natl. Gaurd is in Iraq?

The reason is Bush exhausted the troops he had, and so his idea of respect for people in the Gaurd is to use them in a way they weren't intended to be used. And to deprive them of normal terms of service, by extending their stays, keeping them from their families and loved ones and their jobs and livelihood. These were what we used to call 'weekend warriors' because they'd just train on the weekends and work or go to school weekdays. Some respect.

Add to that the disrespect shown by Republicans for our troops by underfunding their health care, denying them benefits, vetoing GI Bills, and not providing the right armor, tanks, tools and protection to do their jobs, plus docking their pay when they do come up with their own resources, is that respect?????

Hell no.

No U.S. soldier has fought for our freedom since WWII. I applaud and appreciate the efforts of our servicemen/women, but that's the undeniable truth. You could say that the war in Afghanistan is being fought for our freedom, but I wouldn't agree with you.

Aweful, spoonfed, maudlin.

rogerclark wrote:

You're a knob. No one is fighting for our freedom in Iraq. This is a war of pure political concoction; free of actual physical justification. Flush out your headgear.

Nuance wrote:

It's less messy to just hit the mute button. Or find a different station to listen to.

What's funny is your comment about the National Guard and how they lose everything. They gain my respect and it's sad they do not gain your respect. But of course you have their best interest at heart don't you? While you sit with the freedom to tell them how stupid they are for protecting your right to speak freely, they fight for it. So thanks for fighting for them.

No doubt someone has posted the YouTube link, but just in case...I find it very powerful.

My great uncle passed away yesterday, and when I read through his bio this caught my eye: "he was a great guy and a hero at Pork Chop Hill in Korea when he was still a teen." My grandfather drove tanks in northern Africa against Rommel; my father a Marine before he could drink legally; my father-in-law a pilot in Viet Nam.

Every day I pray my children do not grow up and develop all of these higher order thinking skills only to find themselves pulled into a war of sticks and bones.

Excellent tune.

Thought provoking...n' stuff

A perfect song for today, the fifth anniversary of Shock & Awe.

The beginning of this sounds like R.E.M. Sweetness Follows.

Hinkamp wrote:

I suggest that the members of Three Doors Down be made to listen to this while watching footage of war horrors 'A Clockwork Orange' style, to 'thank' them for 'Citizen Soldier'.

Join the Guard and lose every reason to smile...