The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Born from the fire clean, crawling in the dirt like war
5 years, my mother gave a voice for war.
10, I was dead, born again with eyes for war
By 15, hate was the name of my war
Wash me in the river
Give me to the pain of Lifewar
Lifewar
20 years gone, and father told me life was like war
Hands to the bone, 25 years of war
30, I wake to the sound of souls at war
I will pass through, buried in the flag of my war.
Wash me in the river
Give me to the pain of Lifewar
Lifewar
5 years, my mother gave a voice for war.
10, I was dead, born again with eyes for war
By 15, hate was the name of my war
Wash me in the river
Give me to the pain of Lifewar
Lifewar
20 years gone, and father told me life was like war
Hands to the bone, 25 years of war
30, I wake to the sound of souls at war
I will pass through, buried in the flag of my war.
Wash me in the river
Give me to the pain of Lifewar
Lifewar
Lyrics submitted by HasteTheDay68
Lifewar Lyrics as written by Ryan Clark
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Because Demon Hunter is a Christian band, this song is most likely an allegory for the Christian life, which is often portrayed as a constant battle.
"5 years, my mother gave a voice for war" His mother prayed that he would get saved and become a Christian. "10, I was dead, born again with eyes for war" He was regenerated/"born again" and is now a Christian in the spiritual war of good vs evil. "By 15, hate was the name of my war" Not entirely sure about this line, but it could be talking about a rebellious phase which most teens go through. I've heard the lead singer talk about his teen years in an interview, and he did go through such a phase.
The rest of the song is pretty straightforward. The river is most likely Truth or God's love. He acknowledges that war is painful, but he wants to fight for the truth.
Ryan said...
LifeWar is essentially a very condensed version of my life story, 5 years at a time. Broken down by each line, it goes like this:
When we are born, though born into sin, we are in essence clean and innocent. We begin life crawling, and I liken this action to crawling in the dirt like a soldier at war.
When I was very young, my mother’s singing voice was engrained in me. She was always singing around the house and she has a beautiful singing voice. I attribute my singing talents to her.
When I was around 10 or 11, I began to take more of an interest in my faith. Soon after, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and although I was very young at the time, I still look back on that as a defining moment for me.
When I was a teenager I found hardcore music — a genre that on one hand preaches acceptance, and on the other, can be very hate-fueled. For much of my teenage years, I found myself hating a lot of the things that I was seeing — drug and alcohol abuse, unholy sex-obsession. I didn’t feel like I hated the people, but more the sin itself.
My father is a great teacher, both in Biblical knowledge and that of being a mature, responsible man of God. Especially in my young adult years, I heeded his words regarding these things.
I spent most of my 20’s working very hard — long days, learning new things, etc. Sometimes I feel like I spent about 90% of my waking life working in my 20’s. But this was an extremely formative time for me. These were the years that really shaped me into the man I am today.
I recently turned 30, and in many ways I still see life as a continuous battle. In some ways I feel like I may have more figured out, but in many others, I’m still learning. Life can be a struggle, a war.
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." - Psalm 18:32-34
Thank you for your constant, direct from the source, information.
sounds like it could be very related to the Spartan way of life and how it revolved around war and fighting entirely for males. very sick song
I think it relates more to today's world. Life is nothing but a war to many people. Sure, you can take it literally and relate it to the war(s) in the middle east but it also reflects the tough times people go through from the time they are born. Some people start out fighting an uphill battle and life never gets easy, so by the time they die it is as if that is their one true relief knowing that it is finally over.
And seeing as it is demon hunter something sort of jumped out to me.
"30, I wake to the sound of souls at war I will pass through, buried with the flag of my war
Wash me in the river, give me to the pain of LifeWar LifeWar"
Those lines specifically make me think it has something to do with Purgatory and the process of getting into heaven perhaps.
Yes, its for sure about his spiritual life. and he is 30 years old, if that matters :)
Can Easily seen literraly as a Child Soldier. Born and Raised only knowing the horrors of war.
And Also Seen through the life of a Christian. As Posted above is an exact meaning and with the generalization can be described to many people.
Born from the fire clean, crawling in the dirt like war - Born a Pure and Perfect person but soon starts crawling and live in Sin. 5 years, my mother gave a voice for war - Religious Parent Bringing the Child up with the church Ideals. 10, I was dead, born again with eyes for war - Born again Christian Ready to live for their religion. By 15, hate was the name of my war - extreme Secularist groups are growing rapidly. I know as a teen I grow hate as they try to defile my faith. 20 years gone, and father told me life was like war - Growing up and knowing the struggle to live and stay christian the roads are always bumpy Hands to the bone, 25 years of war - Living a struggling life and still working to their wits end to live accordingly 30, I wake to the sound of souls at war - Participating against these Groups who ignore the call within their own soul to get rid of the importance of religion (Secularist groups) I will pass through, buried with the flag of my war - He has made their mind up and will live and die a Christian.
This song is about how the leader of the band is infact the antichrist and is born and fueled by his hatred and disgust for humanity. Of course at the end he knows that humanity must be destroyed. If anyone would stop jerking off on their bibles and see it they'd realize this but they're too busy going "OMG THEIR CHRSITIAN!!!!1111111111"
okay i see what you mean by that and i see why you would think that<br /> "born from the fire clean crawling through the dirt"<br /> born from fire i get that it sounds like hes from hell but in fact God is a lot of times represented by fire as well, crawling through the dirt is pretty obvious meaning sin<br /> "5 years my mother gave my voice for war"<br /> okay i get that too, it seems like his mother is fueling his hate but i think that is bringing them up with a hate for sin instead (in the Bible Christian life is many times likened to war)<br /> "10 i was dead born again with eyes for war"<br /> the first part is pretty straight forward, dead in sin but the second is kinda sketchy, born again with eyes for war can be interpreted as either awakening the devil inside (if you think hes the anti-Christ) or as born again like a Christian, with eyes for war interpretation is determined by the way you take the above line, with eyes for war against sin or with eyes for war against Christians<br /> "15 hate was the name of my war"<br /> he fighting against hate or hes fighting with hate once again depends on interpretation<br /> "wash me in the river"<br /> baptism<br /> "give me to the pain of lifewar"<br /> i want to live like a Christian at war with sin<br /> "20 years gone hands to the bone father told me life was like war"<br /> once again depends on interpretation, hands to the bone obviously symbolizes work but the war can be interpreted either way the rest of the song depends on interpretation but i think the wash me in the river kinda cleared the whole thing up
also the flag of my war is probably the most literal part, a grave even today is often marked with a cross if the people are Christians
I love these guys cause Metal is viewed as a very cuss heavy genre but Demon hunter has kept obscenities out of their songs and they have a very deep message behind them. They are actually understandable as opposed to bands like Underoath.