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One Tin Soldier (Original Caste cover) Lyrics
Listen children to a story that was written long ago
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain and the valley folk below.
On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
So the people of the valley sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill
Came an answer from the kingdom "With our brother we will share
All the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there."
Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
Now the valley cried with anger, MOUNT YOUR HORSES, DRAW YOUR SWORD
And they killed the mountain people so they won their just reward.
Now they stood beside the treasure on the mountain, dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it "Peace on Earth" was all it said.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain and the valley folk below.
On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
Asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill
Came an answer from the kingdom "With our brother we will share
All the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there."
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
And they killed the mountain people so they won their just reward.
Now they stood beside the treasure on the mountain, dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it "Peace on Earth" was all it said.
Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing come the judgement day.
On the bloody morning after one tine soldier rides away.
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Oddly, Coven's first album, Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls, ended with a 13 minute satanic black mass. The first song on the album was titled Black Sabbath and the bass player's name was Oz Osborne. True! The album came out a year before the (famous) Ozzy's first band, Black Sabbath.
wow! I really thought this song would have great comments...I guess it is a little dated. It is my second favorite song of all time.
My 2 cent:
It is about the greed and hatred in this world (the valley folk) who lash out at their neighbors (the mountain people) and kill for what they see as a "just cause" only to find that there is no just cause to take a life (peace on earth was all it said). There are many parallels to today's world...I have seen parallels done to 9/11, the war in Iraq, etc.. But this was originally written in the Vietnam era. As for the tin soldier I always took the tin soldier as he goes into battle shiny and pristine and comes out bent and tarnish, but I would be interested to hear others opinions.
I agree with Itienke. I was hoping to find a great discussion happening here, and am sad there is not.
I have listened to this song for a long time, hearing it first in the "Billy Jack" movie when I was pre-teen. Over the years I have thought a lot about its meaning, to me, and to the world in general.
This song is one of the few to have the power to make me cry, still, after all these years. The 'tin soldier' mentioned in the song has always been a symbol of the soul-less human to me. Let me explain. He is shiny and polished, hollow and empty. Cheaply made, as tin is not a precious metal. Willing to be moved in any direction by whatever hand moves it, as a chess piece is dependent on this for movement.
This representation of tin soldier/soul-less human gets connected by the ability of those few who are able to act without conscience or fear of retribution. That, to me is the 'tin soldier'. The person who is empty inside, and cheaply made.
And after thinking about it for a while, I suppose the 'one tin soldier' could also be just a regular person that endures. Regular as 'tin' is a common, inexpensive, light yet strong, metal. But, as the 'tin' also implies, not impenetrable, not warm like gold, or soft like silver. Not heavy and hard like steel, but flexible and shape-able, pierce-able, cut-able.
And after thinking about it for a while, I suppose the 'one tin soldier' could also be just a regular person that endures. Regular as 'tin' is a common, inexpensive, light yet strong, metal. But, as the 'tin' also implies, not impenetrable, not warm like gold, or soft like silver. Not heavy and hard like steel, but flexible and shape-able, pierce-able, cut-able.
That is the one thing I have never been able to figure out. Should we feel empathy for the 'tin soldier'? Should he be admired and lauded? Should he be a hero? Or should we feel contempt for...
That is the one thing I have never been able to figure out. Should we feel empathy for the 'tin soldier'? Should he be admired and lauded? Should he be a hero? Or should we feel contempt for him?
This was in the movie Billy Jack and was the #1 most requested song on American Radio in 1972.
great song, what does the tin soldier mean?
I think the tin soldier is Jesus
The Tin Soldier is Satan.This was a devil worshiping band.
The Tin Soldier is Satan.This was a devil worshiping band.
The Mountain is Gods Kingdom ,the Valley is us wanting to be our own gods ,we want the treasure.
The Mountain is Gods Kingdom ,the Valley is us wanting to be our own gods ,we want the treasure.
Go ahead and steal and lie ,its all jusified by that evil Heaven.
Go ahead and steal and lie ,its all jusified by that evil Heaven.
There wont be any trumpets blowing on judgement day = God is not our master and has no right to judge us.
There wont be any trumpets blowing on judgement day = God is not our master and has no right to judge us.
After that bloody day One Tin Solder rides away ( Satan ) and then their will be piece on earth.
After that bloody day One Tin Solder rides away ( Satan ) and then their will be piece on earth.
Not a hard song to understand Evil Band with a album about witchcraft.
Not a hard song to understand Evil Band with a album about witchcraft.