Garwood has often been described in the press as Lanegan’s “spiritual cousin across the Atlantic waters.” He has been widely praised as a master bluesman, with The Quietus saying “The combination of Garwood’s murmured vocals and the sound he gets out of his guitar – which ranges from a rolling, loose finger-picking to shuddering howls of feedback – has a hypnotic effect” and The Mirror dubbing him as “London’s leading exponent of the wheezy broke-down blues.”
War Memorial
Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell on command
Give me my first and last medal
Observed in ritual behind the door
A heavy ivory white door
Where I′ve come off my hinges
Without wanting to
Wasn't nothing else to do
Saw a squad of deserters hung from an oak
Saw officers shot from their saddles
Through driving snow and through black smoke
With a pack of feral dogs snapping at my hooves
Eyes rolled back in their heads
The blank blessed eyesight of the dead
Entire battalions snuffed like a spark
Beat like a heart
Drowned by an ocean
Don′t tell me the ending of the play
Don't make me look
Look in the mirror
The lyrics of Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood's song "War Memorial" express the inner turmoil and trauma of a soldier who has experienced and participated in warfare. The opening lines "Good, have I done good?" suggest the haunting question that war veterans often ask themselves - whether their actions were justifiable and whether they have done good or bad. The next line "I fell on command" shows the feeling of helplessness and loss of agency that comes with being a soldier who has to follow orders without question or hesitation.
The lines "Give me my first and last medal" express the soldier's sense of resignation and desire for the ultimate recognition for their service and sacrifice. The image of the "heavy ivory white door" and being "off one's hinges" suggest a state of mental breakdown and dissociation from reality. The soldier's admission of "murdering a sentry there" and "wasn't nothing else to do" reveals the grim reality of war, where killing becomes a matter of survival and self-defense.
The subsequent verses describe the soldier's memories of witnessing the horrors of war, including the sight of executed deserters, slain officers, and whole battalions being snuffed out. The image of "feral dogs snapping at my hooves" and "eyes rolled back in their heads" depicts the haunting presence of death that follows the soldier, even after the war has ended. The final lines "Don't tell me the ending of the play, don't make me look, look in the mirror" suggest the soldier's need for avoidance and denial, fearing the reflections of their actions in the mirror of their psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Good, have I done good?
Did I do well? Did I succeed in my actions?
I fell on command
I obeyed my orders without hesitation.
Give me my first and last medal
Give me recognition for my actions, even if it is the only time I receive it.
Observed in ritual behind the door
Watched in a customary manner from behind a closed door.
A heavy ivory white door
A thick, pale door that is an entry point to the observed rituals.
Where I've come off my hinges
Where I lost control or became mentally unstable due to the observed rituals.
Fire underground, I murdered a sentry there
In the heat of war, I killed a guard unknowingly.
Without wanting to
I did not intentionally mean to kill them.
Wasn't nothing else to do
I had no other options but to take action.
Saw a squad of deserters hung from an oak
I witnessed a group of soldiers who abandoned their duties being punished by hanging them from a tree.
Saw officers shot from their saddles
I saw higher-ranked soldiers being killed while on horseback.
Through driving snow and through black smoke
Despite the harsh conditions of the environment that I'm in, I have still witnessed these violent acts.
With a pack of feral dogs snapping at my hooves
I moved quickly with savage animals biting at my feet.
Eyes rolled back in their heads
The deceased showed the whites of their eyes as they perished.
The blank blessed eyesight of the dead
The lifeless gaze of those who are no longer living, which is a blessing compared to the horrors of war.
Entire battalions snuffed like a spark
Large groups of soldiers were eliminated as quickly as a ignited fire going out.
Beat like a heart
The sound of a battalion's defeat was like the beating of a heart, steady and constant.
Drowned by an ocean
The battalion was defeated by a large force like a powerful ocean.
Don't tell me the ending of the play
Don't spoil the outcome or conclusion of the events that I have experienced.
Don't make me look
Don't force me to confront the harsh reality of the situations I have faced.
Look in the mirror
Reflect on my own actions and the part I played in the events that have taken place.
Writer(s): Duke Garwood, Mark Lanegan
Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
006Morrigan
Good, have I done good?
I fell on command
Give me my first and last medal
Observed in ritual behind the door
A heavy ivory white door
Where I've come off my hinges
Fire underground, I murdered a sentry there
Without wanting to
Wasn't nothing else to do
Saw a squad of deserters hung from an oak
Saw officers shot from their saddles
Through driving snow and through black smoke
With a pack of feral dogs snapping at my hooves
Eyes rolled back in their heads
The blank blessed eyesight of the dead
Entire battalions snuffed like a spark
Beat like a heart
Drowned by an ocean
Don't tell me the ending of the play
Don't make me look
Look in the mirror
Hermano Freitas
Muito bom!!! Valeu 👍
allan mcaloon
This is brillant - Just brillant.
John Regan Productions
hauntingly good
Anita grey
Ahhh, what a beauty!
Adelia Hogarth
Profound.