The song, an anti-war protest, was written during the early stages of the Iraq War in 2003, and was composed on bass guitar by Pallot. The song was issued on downloads only in March 2005, and the following month saw a commercial release on Pallot's album Fires. The single was also accompanied by the popular music video which features Pallot and other shoppers engaging in a 'food fight' in a busy supermarket. It received heavy rotation on British music channels with many people praising the humorous setting, however depicting a darker message within. It was directed by Marc Klasfeld.
Everbody's Gone To War
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's a pure bred killing machine.
He said he's waited his whole damn life for this
I knew him well when he was 17, now he's a man who'll be dead by Christmas
And
So, everybody's gone to war
But we don't know what we're fighting for,
Don't tell me it's a worthy
Cause no cause could be so worthy
[Chorus]
If love is a drug I guess we're all sober,
If hope is a song I guess it's all over,
How to have faith when faith is a crime,
I don't want to die
[Chorus 2]
If God's on our side then God is a joker,
Asleep on the job his children fall over,
Running out through the door and straight to the sky,
I don't want to die.
For every man who wants to rule the world,
There'll be a man who just wants to be free,
What do we learn but what should not be learned,
Too late to find the cure for this disease
[Bridge]
[Chorus 1+2]
I, I-I, I
I, I-I, I
Don't want to die
I-I don't want to die
[Bridge]
[Chorus 1+2]
I, I-I, I
I, I-I, I
Don't want to die
I-I don't want to die
I've got a friend, he's a pure bred killing machine,
I think he might be dead by
Christmas.
The lyrics in Nerina Pallot's song "Everybody's Gone To War" tell a story of a personal connection to the war. The song includes powerful lyrics about losing someone to war and questioning the purpose of the fight. The first verse begins with a disturbing image of a friend as a killing machine, who has been waiting his whole life for the war. The second verse speaks to the larger theme of not knowing what the war is for and that no cause could be worthy of so many deaths.
The first half of the chorus speaks to the feeling of being sober and without hope in a world where love and joy are inaccessible due to the war. The second half of the chorus delves deeper into this frustration with the idea that if God is on our side then it seems like a cruel joke. The repeated chorus is a cry and plea to not die and hope that there is still a chance for a better world. The last verse underscores a common theme of the futility of wars and the cost it takes on individuals and societies.
Overall, this song is an uncompromising rebuke of war and the forces that lead to it. It combines strong and emotive songwriting with musical arrangements that capture both the bleakness and tragic beauty of the story.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a friend
The singer has a friend.
He's a pure bred killing machine.
The friend is a trained and experienced fighter.
He said he's waited his whole damn life for this
The friend is excited to be going to war.
I knew him well when he was 17, now he's a man who'll be dead by Christmas
The friend has changed since the singer knew him as a teenager and is likely to die soon.
So, everybody's gone to war
Many people are involved in this war.
But we don't know what we're fighting for
The reason for the war is not clear to the singer.
Don't tell me it's a worthy
The singer questions whether the cause of the war is worthwhile.
Cause no cause could be so worthy
The singer cannot imagine a cause that justifies the violence of war.
If love is a drug I guess we're all sober
The feeling of love is absent in this war.
If hope is a song I guess it's all over
The hope for peace and happiness is lost.
How to have faith when faith is a crime
Having faith is difficult when it is seen as a negative thing.
I don't want to die
The singer does not want to die in this war.
If God's on our side then God is a joker
If there is a God, they seem to be mocking the people involved in the war.
Asleep on the job his children fall over
God is not helping people and they are suffering.
Running out through the door and straight to the sky
People are dying and going to heaven.
For every man who wants to rule the world
There are people who have ambitions of power and control.
There'll be a man who just wants to be free
There are also people who want to be free from oppression and control.
What do we learn but what should not be learned
People are not learning the right lessons from the war.
Too late to find the cure for this disease
It is too late to fix the problems caused by the war.
I don't want to die
The singer continues to express their fear of dying in the war.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Nerina Pallot
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@guidotron82
I listened to this song obsessively when my best friend got sent to Iraq.
He came back alive and whole but I've never forgotten the terror I felt when his mother once called me to say there had been an attack near where was working.
Neither of us knew shit about what was happening.
But we were both locked in horror till it turned out it was some other mothers on and someone else's best friend who had died.
Looking back we were really silly to worry because now that part of the world is super stable..
@benlg9125
Awesome song, my favorite part:
"I'f God's on our side, then God is a joker
Asleep on the job, his children fall over
Running out through the door and straight to the sky
I don't want to die
For every man who wants to rule the world
There'll be a man who just wants to be free
What do we learn but what should not be learned?
Too late to find a cure for this disease"
@MarkVictor5
Such an absolutely underrated song. She's fantastic. For every man who wants to rule the world. There'll be a man who just wants to be free.
@DorothyMcShane
13 years on and this song still works, especially now!
@F4Wildcat
My god i had to search for a while to finally find this song again. Im so glad i finally remembered the lyric "if love is a drug i guess we are all sober" and finally found this mid-2000 Gem. In a time when music was great yet serious. The latter is something the 90's lacked, but the former is what the 2010's lacked.
@MalonzaPhilip
This is so nostalgic!!! Reminds me of the 00s. Good old days 😪
@garydavies7848
Very appropriate title now way world is going. Classic tune 😊
@LocalSupaChrist
I've literally been trying to find this song for like 7 years!!!!!
@emmetharte6434
I have been the same!!!!!!!! Thought one day to google it and I got the answer!
@EvilQueenofHearts
Exactly the same for me as well!
@footy2rock
+Christian Lecoutier Cool video dont u think a war breaks out in a supemarket.
@syphaxbird7320
same, only i didn't have the song's name nore the singer's
but i just stumbled on it in the british music awards 2007
when winehouse won
and this one was among the nominated songs.....