Unknown Soldier
The Casualties Lyrics


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Oh.... Two, three, four!

Joey is out of school; didn't fucking ask for much
Couldn't get a job—the Marines, his last hope
Down at the front line with a gun, not a toy
Kill many men, not asking what for

Joey's family, the comrades next to him
Die one by one—his luck is running out
Joey wrote back home; his parents unemployed
The rich is fuckin' laughing; profits from the war

Joey is off to die for another senseless war
No arms, no legs—his mother cries at home
Joey wears the flag, so proud to fight for us
And for a government that doesn't give a fuck

Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the front line, what a fuckin’ sight
Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the frontline, what a way to die

Joey—Joey—Joey,
Tell me what you see now




Joey—Joey—Joey,
Please, come back home now

Overall Meaning

The Casualties’s Unknown Soldier depicts the tragedy of a young man named Joey, who joins the Marines as his last resort, only to find himself in a senseless war where he kills many men without knowing what he’s fighting for. As his comrades and family die one by one, Joey’s luck runs out as well. He writes back home to his unemployed parents, revealing the profits made by the rich from the war. Meanwhile, Joey wears the flag so proudly, fighting not only for his country but also for a government that doesn't care about him. In the end, all that is left is his mother crying at home as Joey dies for a senseless war.


The lyrics exemplify the cruelty of war and the politicians who profit from the pain and suffering of others. It also portrays the sadness of a mother who watches her son go to war and never return. The reference to Joey’s unemployment highlights how sometimes the military is perceived as the only way out for young people in low-income households. Moreover, the critique of the government for dismissing the lives of soldiers who sacrifice everything for their country is an important message.


Line by Line Meaning

Joey is out of school; didn't fucking ask for much
Joey is a young man who didn't have high hopes for his future, and therefore did not ask for much in life.


Couldn't get a job—the Marines, his last hope
The only option Joey thought he had left was enlisting in the Marines since he was unable to secure employment elsewhere.


Down at the front line with a gun, not a toy
Joey found himself on the front lines with a real weapon, which was a far cry from the play guns he used to use as a child.


Kill many men, not asking what for
Joey was forced to take the lives of many individuals, and was never given a clear justification or reason for doing so.


Joey's family, the comrades next to him
On the battlefield, Joey's closest family members were the fellow soldiers fighting alongside him.


Die one by one—his luck is running out
One by one, the soldiers that Joey had grown close to were being killed in action. He began to fear that he may also meet the same fate at any moment.


Joey wrote back home; his parents unemployed
Joey sent letters to his loved ones explaining his situation, and was saddened to hear that his parents were struggling to find employment back home.


The rich is fuckin' laughing; profits from the war
While Joey was risking his life on the battlefield, wealthy individuals were profiting greatly from the war and were not bothered by the consequences of their actions.


Joey is off to die for another senseless war
Joey was sent to fight in yet another war that had no obvious purpose or benefit to those involved.


No arms, no legs—his mother cries at home
Joey was injured so severely during his time in combat that he lost his arms and legs. His mother was devastated by the news.


Joey wears the flag, so proud to fight for us
Despite the senselessness of the war, Joey still held a deep respect for his country and was proud to represent it on the battlefield.


And for a government that doesn't give a fuck
Joey's pride for his country was overshadowed by his frustration with a government that he felt did not care about the wellbeing of its soldiers.


Marching to the left, marching to the right
Joey and his fellow soldiers were constantly on the move, switching positions to advance and defend various front lines.


Marching on the front line, what a fuckin’ sight
The image of soldiers marching forward on the front line of battle was a distressing and terrifying sight to behold.


Joey—Joey—Joey, Tell me what you see now
The singer is calling out to Joey in a desperate plea, asking him to reveal what he sees and experiences on the battlefield.


Joey—Joey—Joey, Please, come back home now
The artist begs for Joey to return home safely and escape the horrors of war that he has been forced to endure.




Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

chick in the mirror

The Casualties

UNKNOWN SOLDIER LYRICS

Oh.... Two, three, four!

Joey is out of school; didn't fucking ask for much
Couldn't get a job—the Marines, his last hope
Down at the front line with a gun, not a toy
Kill many men, not asking what for

Joey's family, the comrades next to him
Die one by one—his luck is running out
Joey wrote back home; his parents unemployed
The rich is fuckin' laughing; profits from the war

Go!

Joey is off to die for another senseless war
No arms, no legs—his mother cries at home
Joey wears the flag, so proud to fight for us
And for a government that doesn't give a fuck

Go!

Joey is off to die for another senseless war
No arms, no legs—his mother cries at home
Joey wears the flag, so proud to fight for us
And for a government that doesn't give a fuck
Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the front line, what a fuckin’ sight
Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the frontline, what a way to die

Joey—Joey—Joey
Tell me what you see now
Joey—Joey—Joey
Please, come back home now

Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the front line, what a fuckin’ sight
Marching to the left, marching to the right
Marching on the frontline, what a way to die



All comments from YouTube:

RZCasualty

95% of my music tastes come from my parents. Anything they hated, i ended up loving. This being one of them.

BrandonPrive1432

im the opposite, my dad had fucking amazing tastes and still does to this day and its made me love good music, he might not like the casualties screaming, but he was a true punk in the 70s and 80s so those roots got passed down to me.

Jason Trevino

Lol that’s the same reason why I love 70s and 80s jams.

FEAR INC SK8s

It’s just about being who you are you are on the right path my freind

Alexander Armstrong

Omg same!

Madison Lynn

They shoulda tried harder bud because the casualties suck

4 More Replies...

Randall Tyer

Bar none, my favorite song by them. I'm a vet so I'm biased, hahaha but along with that, the listener can just feel the passion and drama of the content. This guy's have written such great punk anthems, and to change gears and write a song like this and punk it up so well is amazing. In Iraq we used to say " down range shit gets real! ". This song " gets real ". Really, one of my favorites.

DarkwaveUmbreon98

Get's me excited, I love this song. Thank you, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, for introducing me to so many simply incredible songs. I don't think I've played a Tony Hawk game yet where not only are there like three or four songs I already know and love, but several more I fall in love with. And I'm not even going to start on the nostalgic factor of them, especially Pro Skater 1's, as this comment is getting long, and that would surely make it triple in length. Again, I just want to thank whoever they have in charge of the soundtracks for these games, you guys are awesome.

Andrew Barsky

As tacky as it sounds. I pursued a music career that didn’t work, somehow ended up as a teacher here in China as a somewhat direct result of THPS’s soundtracks. Thanks Tony!

airbiox11

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2

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