One Tin Soldier
Luanne Platter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
1 2 3 4...5
it's Luanne
I got a story
everybody
let me have your ears for a moment
listen carefully!
that was written long ago
about a kingdom on a mountain
and the valley folk below
on the mountain was a treasure!
buried deep the stone
and the valley people swore
they'd have it for their very own
go ahead and, not yet, 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 bloody morning after...whoo
one tin soldier rides away
this is it
so the people of the valley
send a message, up the hill!
asking for the buried treasure
tons of gold, for which they kill
came an answer from the kingdom
"with our bothers, we will share"
"all the secrets of our mountain"
"all the riches buried there"
yeah! congratulations!
now the valley cried with anger
"mount your horses, draw your swords"
and they killed the mountain people
so, the won their just reward
now they stood beside the treasure
on the moutain dark and red
turn the stone and looks 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, just try
there won't be any trumpets blowing
come the judgement day
on bloody morning after...whoo
one tin soldier rides away
go ahead and hate your neighbor
go ahead and cheat a, friend
please do it in the name of heaven
you can justify it in the end
there won't be any trumpets blowing
don't you love trumpets!
on bloody morning after...whoo
one tin soldier rides a, away
sha do ba do, ba do ba do
sha bah ba do dah
we can get along everbody!
if we just try... alright
i don't know
peace on earth
to all good man and women and children and animals
and...um... birds and fish...and...even objets that aren't breathing too
am i finished?
hank: well that was very nice Luanne,
you gotta love billy jack
he wasn't looking for trouble
and now here's what you really bought the album for
our theme song
and if it makes you hungry to watch the show
look at the tv guide
it's on somewhere in america, sometime
The lyrics of Luanne Platter's song One Tin Soldier tell a story about a kingdom on a mountain, and valley people below who vowed to have the treasure buried deep within the mountain for themselves. The people of the valley sent a message to the kingdom asking for the treasure, but the kingdom offered to share their secrets instead. However, out of anger and greed, the valley killed the people of the mountain and eventually found the treasure only to discover that it said "peace on earth." The song is a message about the need for peace and love while discouraging the use of violence and greed in obtaining riches.
Line by Line Meaning
listen children to a story that was written long ago
Hey kiddos, gather 'round, grandma's gonna tell you a story.
about a kingdom on the mountain and the valley folk below
One time there were two groups of people - the fancy ones on the mountain and the normal ones in the valley.
on the mountain was a treasure! buried deep the stone
There was hidden treasure up in the fancy mountain.
and the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own
The regular folks wanted the fancy stuff for themselves.
go ahead and, not yet, go ahead and hate your neighbor
It's A-OK to not get along with your neighbors. Just wait a sec, though.
go ahead and cheat a friend do it in the name of heaven
You can totally screw over your friends if you say you're doing it for the greater good.
you can justify it in the end
You'll find a way to make it all seem okay in the end.
there won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day
No one's going to get called out for their bad deeds.
on bloody morning after...whoo one tin soldier rides away
It's all gonna end with violence and sadness, and only one person will come out on top.
so the people of the valley send a message, up the hill! asking for the buried treasure tons of gold, for which they kill
The regular folks asked the fancy folks for some of their riches, but really it was just an excuse to start a fight.
came an answer from the kingdom 'with our bothers, we will share' 'all the secrets of our mountain' 'all the riches buried there'
The fancy folks said they'd share their stuff with the regular folks.
now the valley cried with anger 'mount your horses, draw your swords' and they killed the mountain people
The regular folks got mad and decided to start killing the fancy folks.
so, the won their just reward
The regular folks won the battle and got the riches they wanted.
now they stood beside the treasure on the mountain dark and red turn the stone and looks beneath it 'peace on earth' was all it said
After all that killing, it turns out the treasure was just a stupid rock with a message about peace.
please do it in the name of heaven you can justify it in the end
Seriously, it's totally okay to do bad things if you think you're doing it for a good reason.
there won't be any trumpets blowing don't you love trumpets!
No one's gonna get called out for anything, so don't worry about it.
there won't be any trumpets blowing don't you love trumpets!
No one's gonna get called out for anything, so don't worry about it.
one tin soldier rides a, away sha do ba do, ba do ba do sha bah ba do dah
It all ends with violence and sadness, and there's only one winner.
we can get along everbody! if we just try... alright
Let's all just try to play nice, okay?
peace on earth to all good man and women and children and animals and...um... birds and fish...and...even objects that aren't breathing too
Let's hope for peace for everyone and everything, alive or not.
Contributed by Ryan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.