Casualties of War Songtext
von Eric B. & Rakim

Casualties of war

Casualties of war, as I approach the barricade
Where′s the enemy? Who do I invade?
Bullets of Teflon, bulletproof vest rip
Tear ya outta ya frame wit' a bag full of clips
′Cause I got a family that waits for my return
To get back home is my main concern
I'mma get back to New York in one piece
But I've been in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin′ over my head remind me


President Bush said attack
Flashback to ′Nam, I might not make it back
Missile hits the area, screams wake me up
From a war dreams, heat up the M-16
Basic trainin', trained for torture
Take no prisoners, and I just caught ya
Addicted to murder, send more bodybags
They can′t identify 'em, leave the nametags
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor

Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war

Day divides the night, and night divides the day
It′s all hard work and no play
More than combat, it's far beyond that
′Cause I got a kill or be killed kind of attack
Area's mapped out, there'll be no Stratego
Me and my platoon make a boom wherever we go
But what are we here for? Who′s on the other side of the wall?
Somebody give the President a call


But I hear warfare scream through the air
Back to the battlegrounds, it′s war they declare
A Desert Storm, let's see who reigns supreme
Somethin′ like Monopoly, a government scheme
Go to the Army, be all you could be
Another dead soldier? Hell no, not me
So I start lettin' off ammunition in every direction
Allah is my only protection

But wait a minute, Saddam Hussein prays the same
And this is Asia, from where I came
I′m on the wrong side, so change the target
Shootin' at the general, and where′s the sergeant?
Blame it on John Hardy Hawkins for bringin' me
To America, now it's mass hysteria
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor

Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war

The war is over, for now at least
Just because they lost, it don′t mean it′s peace
It's a long way home, it′s a lot to think about
Whole generation, left in doubt
Innocent families killed in the midst
It'll be more dead people after this
So I′m glad to be alive and walkin'
Half of my platoon came home in coffins
Except the general, buried in the Storm
In bits and pieces, no need to look for ′em

I played it slick and got away wit' it
Rigged it up so they would think they did it
Now I'm home, on reserves, and you can bet
When they call, I′m going AWOL
′Cause it ain't no way I′m going back to war
When I don't know who or what I′m fightin' for
So I wait for terrorists to attack
Every time a truck backfires, I fire back
I look for shelter when a plane is over me
Remember Pearl Harbor? New York could be over, G

Kamikaze, strapped with bombs
No peace in the East, they want revenge for Saddam
Did I hear gunshots, or thunder?
No time to wonder, somebody′s going under
Put on my fatigues and my camoflouge
Take control, 'cause I'm in charge
When I snapped out of it, it was blood, dead bodies on the floor

Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war
Casualties of war