Universal Soldier
Sainte marie buffy Lyrics


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He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an athiest, a Jain,
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you

And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan,
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

And he's fighting for Democracy
and fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
who's to live and who's to die
and he never sees the writing on the walls

But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
as a weapon to a war
and without him all this killing can't go on

He's the universal soldier and he
really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me




and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "Universal Soldier" describe the figure of a young soldier who has been fighting wars for a thousand years. Despite his age, the soldier has fought for many different countries and under many religions, which makes him a universal soldier. He has no particular motive to kill, yet it is he who must decide who's to live and who's to die. The song argues that soldiers like him are responsible for the ongoing devastation caused by wars. Although soldiers believe that they are fighting for the peace of the world, they fail to see the writing on the walls that shows them that their actions are counterproductive to their goal.


Sainte-Marie's lyrics are a strong political critique. The song portrays the character of the soldier as a product of a world that generates conflicts and war without any meaningful justification. Despite the soldier's good intentions, his work ultimately perpetuates the cycle of war, and he is "really to blame." Throughout the song, the lyrics keep reminding us that war is a collective effort that involves millions of people. Even though soldiers may receive their orders from higher-ups, each individual is responsible for their role in creating peace or causing destruction.


Line by Line Meaning

He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He is not one man, but every man, of every size and shape that has ever been a soldier.


He fights with missiles and with spears
He fights with any and every weapon available.


He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He is the young and the old, the experienced and the naive.


He's been a soldier for a thousand years
He represents every soldier that has ever lived in the history of mankind.


He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an athiest, a Jain, a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
He represents every religion, every race, every ethnicity, and every nationality.


and he knows he shouldn't kill
He knows that killing is wrong and goes against everything he believes in.


and he knows he always will kill you for me my friend and me for you
However, he is willing to kill for the sake of his country, his friends, and his loved ones.


And he's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France, he's fighting for the USA, and he's fighting for the Russians and he's fighting for Japan, and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
He is fighting for any and every country, hoping that by fighting together, we can eventually put an end to war.


And he's fighting for Democracy and fighting for the Reds
He is fighting for every ideology, every system of government, and every political party.


He says it's for the peace of all
He believes that his fighting is for the greater good, for the safety and well-being of everyone.


He's the one who must decide who's to live and who's to die
He is the one who must make the difficult decisions on the battlefield, deciding who to spare and who to kill.


and he never sees the writing on the walls
Despite everything he has done and witnessed, he does not see the futility of war and its inevitable consequences.


But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau
Without soldiers, there would be no one to fight against tyranny and oppression.


Without him Caesar would have stood alone
Without soldiers, there would be no one to defend against invaders and conquerors.


He's the one who gives his body as a weapon to a war
The soldier sacrifices his physical and mental health, and sometimes his life, to serve his country and its people.


and without him all this killing can't go on
Without soldiers, war cannot be waged and innocent lives would be spared.


He's the universal soldier and he really is to blame
Despite his good intentions, the soldier is responsible for the continued violence and destruction of war.


His orders come from far away no more
The soldier is not just following orders from distant commanders, but is an active participant and decision-maker in the war effort.


They come from him, and you, and me
The decision to go to war and to continue fighting lies not just with political leaders, but with every individual who supports and propagates violence.


and brothers can't you see
We must recognize and take responsibility for our role in perpetuating war and the suffering it causes.


this is not the way we put an end to war
We must find a new way to resolve our differences and conflicts, one that does not rely on violence and destruction.




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BUFFY SAINTE MARIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

ROGB ROGB

I would hope this song, or SOMETHING!
-would get more of us to check out more than one, (or 2 or 3!) sides of a story before we kill, or help kill people.
Too many of us are "good Germans", "just following orders", just going along...
I wanted to fight in Vietnam when I was in high school, but had enough of an open mind to look at "The ABC's of Vietnam", a historical summary from the Quakers. Turned me around 180.
Since then, I've had my antennae up, looking for the lies in every war they sell us, and yes, they are all based on lies, economics, greed.
And our corporate media seem to do a slicker job each time they sell a new war. (War is a Racket, by Smedley Butler, USMC.)
I was a bit dismayed to see you're teaching ROTC, but I don't know you, and I wound up taking a job for a while
making cruise missiles, because I couldn't find anything else! Mixed feelings!
How would we answer at a Nuremberg trial?
A buddy of mine, his platoon just emptied their clips into the trees, non-aggressive.
Local NLF left them a message in a bar: You don't mess with us, we won't mess with you. Local truce, cool!
I think we need more of that, so we don't go to the mushroom clouds!



All comments from YouTube:

KIMBERLEY KOCHEL

I am a big huge fan of Buffy Sainte-Marie. I read her biography with the intro with the one and only,Joni Mitchell. My Auntie saw Buffy last November 2021. She said Buffy never sounded better. Love from a fellow Ontario Canadian. 🇨🇦❤🙏🕊

Sharon Kay

Buffy is the epitome of what a human being is when they are true to themselves and all that is. Love her.

Roger Lewis

Brilliant song.  As relevant today as it was in the 1960s when it was written.  We need more of these.

John Totten

Thank you Buffy. I served on the front lines in Vietnam and I wish someone would revive this song today.

Lucy Doran

John, search First Aid Kit - Universal Soldier :)

Jerry Rivera

Thank you for your service

Christina JOnes

I'm 36, I revive this song all the time. I keep on trying to bring back the 1960's political folk revolution. We need one of those today. Barry McGuire, Buffy, Pete Seeger, Joan Biaz, Phil Ochs I want that kinda of intellectual story telling in my music, always have. I have found a couple modern artist that are good, but the 1960's folk era was more then artist releasing music, they were a revolution.

Anna Patty

Thanks John for your service.

Michael Heery

@Christina JOnes watch kayla mccalla n dhobet gnahore on yt.

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Tom Dee

This song never gets old a true classic.

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