Behind the Screens
4th25 Lyrics

I've been around the block
I have experienced a lot and know what's going on

I've seen what's happening
I have observed the situation and understand it

This is just a game to some of you
Some people view this as a mere game, not taking it seriously

Best the rest of us are not laughin'
The rest of us find it no laughing matter

Cause to me my life's worth more
My life holds more value than just a number

Than just part of your fraction
I am not just a small part in your calculations

When divided represents
When my life is divided with others like me

The number of us killed in action
It represents the casualties of war

Thought I could trust those in charge
I believed those in power were trustworthy

Look at me now I'm laughin'
I am now laughing at myself for trusting them

Think its funny how you keep fuckin' up
It's ironic how they keep making mistakes and expect respect

And want me to respect you
Despite their mistakes, they still expect respect

Fuck the rank on your collar
The rank on their collar holds no power over me

That don't mean shit
It holds no significance to me

Even if you got four stars on 'em
Even a high-ranking officer holds no power over me

You still a bitch
You are still weak and lacking courage

Got out here like slaves
We are out here treated like slaves

Fresh of the ship
Just like slaves were fresh off the ship

Where you would see us pick your cotton
Where we were made to pick cotton for them

And get our ass whipped
And were punished brutally

Cause right now/That's what's happenin' and y'all ain't doin' shit
The same mistreatment is happening now and they are doing nothing to fix it

But tyin' my hands to my ankles
Restricting my actions and preventing me from fighting back

Telling me stop Michael Vick
Giving me orders that do not make sense or seem useless

And could you please explain to me/What is hostile intent
Explaining the meaning behind orders that do not make sense

And why you gave me a mouthful of water/And complain when I spit
Giving me something that appears to be a privilege and then punishing me for using it as intended

No I ain't mad I'm a soldier
I am not angry, I am just doing my job as a soldier

Ill kill for my country
I am willing to risk my life in battle to protect my country

I'm only pissed/Cause you brought me all the way out here just to fuck me
I am only angry that I was misled into thinking that my deployment would be worth it

Behind the screens in this theater/It's a whole lot of issues
There are many problems behind the scenes that are not visible to the public

And it's a lotta balls dropped/That eventually kill us
There are many errors made that can have fatal consequences for us soldiers

And for some/That's the reason that yalls familys now miss you
These mistakes are the reason why some families have lost their loved ones

All cause one mofuckers out here/Playin with continues
All because someone in charge is treating this like a game with respawn and continue options

But this game has no restarts/Soon as death comes to get you
This game of life has no easy way out, once death comes knocking

Ain't no cheat codes for life here/Just the one god gives you
There are no shortcuts in life, only the chance God gives you

But they got us out here like naw/Death won't get you
They make us believe death is not a possibility even in war

But explain that to the families/Of the soldiers lives y'all ruined
Those who have lost their loved ones due to these mistakes deserve an explanation

Y'all can't have a clue of/The fuck y'all doin
They seem to be oblivious to their own mistakes and their consequences

As many soldiers lives/As your decisions have ruined
Their decisions have led to the loss of countless soldiers' lives

Got us out here getting fucked up/That's all we doin
We are out here getting messed up due to their poor decisions

While y'all fly around with yalls cape on/Pretendin y'all not stupid
While they pretend like they have everything under control and are smart

But I've seen too many car bombs/We are not allowed to shoot at
I have witnessed many car bombs, but we are not authorized to take action against them

Come from the rear of a convoy/Now how the fuck we letm do that
These car bombs come from the back of our convoy and we wonder how they were able to do it

Cause in my mind/Wouldn't no car ride that close
I think no car should be allowed to come so close to our convoy

If at all times I'm authorized/To exercise my bolt
If I am given the authority to use my weapon to protect myself and my group at all times

And I've been through yalls AO/I've seen how y'all work it
I have been to their area of operation and have seen how they operate

Tahoe or suburban/For every civilian there workin
For every civilian, there is a Tahoe or a Suburban being used for their work

But its too much/For an 1114 here am I not worth it
There is an excessive amount of vehicles and equipment being used when they could invest more in their soldiers

Or is it ok to send me to war/With something that's not workin
Is it acceptable to send us to war with equipment that is not even working properly?

And y'all rewardin this country/Though the violence ain't stopped
They are rewarding the country despite the violence and casualties continuing

Feedin the same fuckers killen us/And that's pissin me off
Giving resources and aid to the same people who are harming us is frustrating

No I ain't come here to be no target/But that's what you make me
I did not join the army to be a target, but due to their decisions, I have become one

And I'm just wonderin when y'all gone let me/Take this weapon off safety
I am wondering when they will allow me to be in a position to defend myself and use my weapon freely

Probably should of kept this to myself/But my conscious won't see it
I should have kept my thoughts to myself, but my conscience won't let me

So I can pull no punches/I can only tell it how I see it
I am going to express myself freely and honestly with no fear of repercussions

And everything from my perspective/Is definitely warped
Due to my experiences, my perspective on things has become distorted

And why the fuck we train soldiers/To let politicians fight wars
Why do we train soldiers to fight wars that are ultimately decided by politicians?

And if the medias gon be here/Letme see the truth
If the media is present, they should show the truth, not just staged and planned appearances

Don't ask soldiers to pose/And pretend wars cute
Do not make us pretend like wars are glamorous and attractive

And fuckem if they don't understand/The job we are here to do
They should respect and understand the work we are doing, even if they cannot comprehend it fully

This is war and people will die/Innocent ones to
War is devastating and causes the death of not just soldiers, but also innocent civilians

And the only reason we are here/Is cause diplomacy failed
The reason why we are here is that diplomatic efforts have failed

And to the day we redeployed/We should have unleashed hell
We should have responded with full force until the day we were redeployed

But y'all talk a lot more shit/Than y'all would ever commit
You talk big but do not follow through with your words

Telling me wave and be nice/Shit I'm trying to grab my dick
Ordering me to be friendly when I am trying to protect myself and my group

And walk this country like I'm god/Instead you made me a bitch
You want me to have control and behave like a god, but in reality, you made me powerless and helpless

And now this country think I'm soft/And they are killin us quick
By making me appear weak, the country looks down on us and it leads to more casualties

I know you gotta see this is broke/Then why the fuck it ain't fixed
I know you understand that this situation is problematic, so why haven't you done anything to fix it?

Cause I'd a never left home/If you'd a told me you was cutting my wrists
If I had known the real risks of war, I would have never left my home to serve in the army