Powerful?

[Hawkeye]

I just wanted everyones thoughts on this song.

I heard the other day and at first I had to personally say it was horrific. Then it kept coming back around the song the tune etc and the more I thought about it the more I realized how in our own little way-we do this often.

It was probably a political song since it was written during the time of Vietnam, But lets try to stay away from politics on this one (Because Lord knows none of us will agree on the war with Iraq, dems vs republicans etc) but what does this song mean to you-in your own personal life?


ONE TIN SOLDIER
(The Legend of Billy Jack)
[SIZE=-2]words and music by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter
Copyright 1969 by ABC / Dunhill Music, Inc.[/SIZE]
Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

http://www.thecolefamily.com/onetinsoldier.htm for the music itself.

The more I listen to this the sicker I feel honestly because it reminds me of the whites and the native americans and the conquer of them.

And it helps me see the senselessness of my anger a lot of times especially if i act in haste. What about you?

I personally thought this was a powerful song-agree? Disagree?

 

[LisaR]

Ah, the Legend of Billy Jack. I'm dating myself here but I saw this at the movies when I was in Junior High ironically enough with my native american friend, a black friend and two caucasion friends. We all loved it and I think we each took something different away from it...especially the song which was so popular at the time.

I find it difficult to remove politics and govornment from it as it was so reflective of the time in which this was written. It just seemed like it didn't matter if it was individual rights & freedoms, politics, global meddling, the govornment wanted more and more and more. No matter what the govornment seemed to do back then, everyone seemed to lose.

In my personal life today...well, my little sister committed suicide just 3 weeks ago. The song reminds me of the times in our lives when we didn't see eye to eye or were overly competative with one another - there was nothing to win. It reminds me of the time spent wasted on bitter arguements and petty squabbles from the time we were girls to the time we were grown married women - there was no right or wrong. I regret the times we both said we'd call or visit but didn't - we had the time and money. We fought useless battles...so normal for siblings yet so, so silly. I regret being the "soldier" left behind and I'll miss her dearly! I hope she finds the peace in heaven that she could not find here on earth.

Funny that you heard that song today and made this post...it may be dated but Oh, so pertinent to the times - both politically and personally.

Thanks for posting it.

 

[kimmy]

we had to do a project on this very song in my 11th grade history class. i picked up on the European/Native American thing too...but i can't really say much about that whole issue because i'm half Irish and half Cherokee...so i've got a little of both parties in me, so i can't point the finger hah.

i honestly don't remember what i wrote about the song in my project. i think it was something to the affect of "i understand what they're getting at but..it seems like it's just explaining human nature to me, people fight, people sin...we aren't perfect beings" i was, however, very very cynical when i was that age, obviously hahahaha

 

[LisaR]

Don't you think it's kind of an "anthem" for the young, the cynical and those who haven't really experienced the world in terms of "years and experiences" yet? Not so much the song but the words and what it represents. I think that throughout different periods of your life the words kind of "morph" and can take on different meanings.