Lamb of God
Ashes Of The Wake Lyrics


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"We killed alot of innocent civilians.
To us every civilian in Baghdad was a terrorist.
They said 'they are now in civilian clothes' that makes everybody free game,
But if they came in our perimeter, we lit 'em up.
And when we would pull the body out, and when we would search the car, we would find nothing.
This took place time and time again. No harm, no foul, that's Okay, don't worry about it,
Because this is a new type of war, this is an eradication."
Mark Morton's solo

Alex Skolnick's solo

Chris Poland's solo

Willie Adler's solo





"I honestly feel we're committing genocide over here,
I don't believe in killing civilians, and I'm not going to kill civilians for the United States Marine Corps."

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lamb of God by Ashes Of The Wake touch upon the atrocities committed by the United States Marine Corps during the Iraq War. The first few lines of the song describe the senseless killing of innocent civilians in Baghdad. The singer notes that to the Marines, every civilian was considered a terrorist, giving them free reign to kill at will. This justification for violence led to countless innocent people losing their lives. The following lines describe how this became a routine occurrence, with no consequences for the American forces involved. The singer notes that this is simply the nature of the "new type of war" being fought, what they refer to as an "eradication."


Later in the song, a soldier speaks out against what he sees as the unjustified killing of civilians. He notes that he does not believe in killing innocent people and does not want to do so in service to the Marine Corps. This represents a powerful statement against the senseless violence of war, particularly when it is directed at people who are not involved in the conflict.


Overall, Lamb of God is a powerful commentary on the destruction and suffering caused by war, particularly on innocent civilians. It calls into question the justification for violence in any context, and asks us to consider the human cost of these actions.


Line by Line Meaning

We killed alot of innocent civilians.
We have caused the death of a large number of civilians who were not involved in any hostilities.


To us every civilian in Baghdad was a terrorist.
We regarded every person who was not a member of our military as an enemy combatant in Baghdad.


They said 'they are now in civilian clothes' that makes everybody free game,
Our superiors informed us that if a person was not wearing military attire, they were considered a legitimate target.


But if they came in our perimeter, we lit 'em up.
If a civilian entered our defensive zone, we opened fire on them without hesitation.


And when we would pull the body out, and when we would search the car, we would find nothing.
We often found no evidence of weapons or other incriminating items on the bodies or in the vehicles of the civilians we killed.


This took place time and time again. No harm, no foul, that's Okay, don't worry about it,
This happened repeatedly, without consequence or concern for the loss of innocent life and suffering of the families affected.


Because this is a new type of war, this is an eradication.
We believed that this conflict was not a conventional war, but a campaign of extermination.


Mark Morton's solo
Instrumental interlude.


Alex Skolnick's solo
Instrumental interlude.


Chris Poland's solo
Instrumental interlude.


Willie Adler's solo
Instrumental interlude.


I honestly feel we're committing genocide over here,
I have come to the realization that our actions are tantamount to genocide.


I don't believe in killing civilians, and I'm not going to kill civilians for the United States Marine Corps.
I am morally opposed to harming innocent non-combatants and refuse to do so on behalf of the Marine Corps.




Contributed by Isabella L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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