Brother will kill brother
Spilling blood across the land
Killing for religion
Something I don't understand

Fools like me, who cross the sea
And come to foreign lands
Ask the sheep, for their beliefs
Do you kill on God's command?

A country that's divided
Surely will not stand
My past erased, no more disgrace
No foolish naive stand

The end is near, it's crystal clear
Part of the master plan
Don't look now to Israel
It might be your homelands

Holy wars

Upon my podium, as the
Know it all scholar
Down in my seat of judgement
Gavel's bang, uphold the law
Up on my soapbox, a leader
Out to change the world
Down in my pulpit as the holier
Than-thou-could-be-messenger of God

Wage the war on organized crime
Sneak attacks, repel down the rocks
Behind the lines
Some people risk to employ me
Some people live to destroy me
Either way they die, they die

They killed my wife, and my baby
With hopes to enslave me
First mistake, last mistake!
Paid by the alliance, to slay all the giants
Next mistake, no more mistakes

Fill the cracks in, with judicial granite
Because I don't say it,
Don't mean I ain't thinkin' it
Next thing you know, they'll take my thoughts away
I know what I said, now I must scream of the overdose
And the lack of mercy killings
Mercy killings
Mercy killings
Killings, killings, killings, killings
Next thing you know, they'll take my thoughts away


Lyrics submitted by elmoz, edited by Peachey117, Yugemos

Holy Wars...The Punishment Due Lyrics as written by Dave Mustaine

Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Holy Wars... The Punishment Due song meanings
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81 Comments

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  • +7
    General Comment

    The first half of this song is about the Holy Wars between the Irish Protestants and the Irish Catholics. Mustaine went to Ireland for a show, and basicly told the IRA what a piece of shit they were from the stage. The IRA is the Irish Republican Army. The two religious factions in Ireland have been fighting for hundreds of years. Mustaine had the balls to say during a show there, that he was of Irish ancestry and thought there stupid war needed to stop. He was boo'd by the crowd and had to leave early. He received death threats and barely escaped out of the country with his skin intact. He wrote Holy Wars about his experience over there, and The Punishment Due was based on the comic book The Punisher.

    Agreenmachineon February 14, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    one of their best songs ever

    Devilmanon June 02, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Most kick ass metal song.

    ceramic_elephanton May 05, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    religion sucks? negative impacts of religion?

    Believe it or not most religions do not allow senseless killings, fanatics make it seem like they do. Most of them also do not condone suicide, so you can't blame religion for suicide bombings. If you'd still like to point fingers, point them at fanatics, don't blindly accuse religion for all things wrong with the world, maybe you could blame James Hetfield for that.

    And Dave seems to getting more and more Christian nowadays..

    ohh, great song by the way..

    ardy189on October 30, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I am currently reading 'Mustaine'. Dave's autobiography. Awesome read if you guys get the chance. Before he wrote this song, Megadeth were playing a show in Ireland, and Dave was smashed out of his gourd. He yelled to the crowd, 'give Ireland back to the Irish!!' .... He didn't know why he said it, he was just fuckin' around. Then suddenly the crowd parted like the red sea and it was Catholics on one side and Protestants on the other, ready to tear each other apart. The show immediately ended and Megadeth got the hell out of there. That was one of the biggest influences for him writing Holy Wars.

    DaBu777on February 18, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    AMAZING RIFF AT THE END. Mustaine is fucking incredible

    Metal Freakon June 24, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this is probrably my favorite song by megadeth. as a member of the U.S. military i can relate to some of the things said "a country that's divided surely cannot stand". this is a surefire implication in my opinion of how civilians have a tendency to lose heart when things get tough, despite the fact the military and government believe they can win. as such they end up losing whatever endeavor then engage in. as for the rest of the song, i think it examines the view from the outside (the holy wars section) and the latter half is about how people may feel shortly before they join in a Jihad. with the last verse finally being the end result of both opinions. the war. and even though the punishment due is based off the punisher comics (so says mustaine) i still think it can be applied in the above mentioned ideas. this song has never been more poignant in my opinion.

    stick to your gunson June 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song was written about the Marvel Comics character 'The Punisher'. In the comic, Frank Castle(the Punisher) witnesses his child and wife murdered by a gang lord and becomes a vigilante to punish criminals.

    GhostOfWaron June 03, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ok...im not a religeous man....and im just going to say this with out religen you wouldnt be able to "god damn" it

    paladin5777on June 23, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is the best! I saw them live at the Astoria and when they played this the place went mad, it was soo kool.

    Also he lauffed at me cos i got lifted up.. kool huh!

    See them at download 2! religion sux

    countfloydon April 05, 2005   Link

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