The Price of War( and the Reward of Bravery)

Off to battle! Off to battle!
Off to battle we go
We travel to harsh deserts
Places we don't know
Young men forced to grow
To face our fears, to hold our tears
Until we all come home

Oh war, you friend of kings
And friend of death
Enemy to you and
Stealer of life's breath
You've taken much and
You've given much and
You've stol'n us from our homes

As I raise my rifle high and
Salute my commander as he walks by
I know I am not ready to die
Not ready to forever lie
In those green pastures promised by
War's great spectator God on high
So I'll fight until I return home

Yet home grows farther away
Each and every single day
One bulltet, two bullets, three!
War, you'll be the death of me
I want a meal, not lives to steal
I want a hug, not metal slugs
Now I know, I will never get home

War... War I see you now
With enemy blood on my hands
You've changed me now
You've changed me how?
You promised me manhood
In exchange for my soul
And this much I now know
The price for freedom is...
Ultimately... youthful innocence

And so, War, you've stol'n me away
Taken my breath, the rest of my days
As warm, crimson rivers flow from my veins
I have but a wish of you
That my blood may
In these sands make
A monument to
The bold and the brave