The War On War Songfacts says: "War On War" is about the need to experience… Read Full Bio ↴The War On War Songfacts says: "War On War" is about the need to experience (and consequently accept) failure, if you wish to live life to the full, as reflected in the lyric: "You have to learn how to die, if you want to want to be alive." Wilco's frontman and chief songwriter, Jeff Tweedy, told Crud Magazine: "I think somehow you need to get to a certain point in your life where the notion of failure is absurd."

War on War
Wilco Lyrics

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It's a war on war
It's a war on war
It's a war on war
It's a war on war

It's a war on war
It's a war on war
It's a war on war

There's a war on

You're gonna lose
You have to lose
You have to learn how to die

Just watching the miles flying by
Just watching the miles flying by
You are not my typewriter
But you could be my demon
Moving forward through the flaming doors

You have to lose
You have to learn how to die
If you want to want to be alive, okay?

You have to lose
You have to lose
You have to learn how to die
If you want to want to be alive

You have to die
You have to die

You have to learn how to die
If you want to want to be alive, okay?

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song, "It's a war on war," suggest an attempt to end the destructive cycle of violence that war brings. However, the repetition of the line, "It's a war on war," also implies that this war on war may be just as futile as other wars that have been fought. The repetition of this phrase also serves to highlight the absurdity of war and the notion that fighting violence with violence only results in more violence.

The second half of the song, "You have to lose, you have to learn how to die," seems to suggest a different approach to dealing with conflict. It may be more about accepting the inevitability of loss, accepting one's own mortality and embracing the fleetingness of life, rather than a call to violent action. The lines "If you want to want to be alive, okay?" seem to imply that acknowledging and accepting the possibility of death is necessary to truly appreciate life.

Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the futility of war and the importance of embracing life, even in the face of death. The repeated phrase "It's a war on war" serves as a reminder that violence is never the answer and suggests a need for new approaches to conflict resolution.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a war on war
We are fighting against war itself

There's a war on
War is present and happening right now

You're gonna lose
You will eventually be defeated

You have to lose
Defeat is necessary in order to move forward

You have to learn how to die
You must be willing to let go and start anew

Just watching the miles flying by
Observing the passing of time

You are not my typewriter
You are not a machine to be used for my own purposes

But you could be my demon
You have the potential to bring out negative qualities in me

Moving forward through the flaming doors
Navigating through difficult and dangerous obstacles

If you want to want to be alive, okay?
To truly live, you must be willing to face challenges and struggle

You have to die
You must be willing to let go of the old and embrace the new