10th Man Down (feat. Tapio Wilska)

This song.. is about what war does to people... it's a soldier's lament about his life.. awesome song... and I think i've seen the video that Rider is talkin about.. and I don't think that's the official video... (let me rephrase that I KNOW it's not the official video) some fan of Gundam 8th MS Team made it.. and it is a good video ONLY if you have seen it. But the song rocks no matter what.

The 10th man down refers to the singer himself. Unable to bear the horrors of the memories of having taken the lives of 9 others, he longs for death. "Cut me free" is his plea, as is "pull the plug, end the pain." When he sings "10th patriot at the gallows pole" he is preparing to kill himself (the hanging imagery refer to his method of suicide but may simply be metaphorical). I am a total pacificist, I believe it is always wrong to fight under all circumstances, so I absolutely love this song. It got me hooked on Nightwish! In Christ, ~Me

This is unrelated to the lyrics of the song, it is just a little correction of some historical facts. Finland was hardly an Axis defender. It was more like an informal Axis occupation. (no I am not Finnish :) )

Perhaps it's about an overdramatic cricket match?

“We sleep safely in our beds at night because hard men stand the night to visit violence on those that would do us harm.” - George Orwell

The singer is one of the hard men.

The protected:

"They wait for me back home The live with eyes turned away They were the first ones to see They are the last ones to bleed"

He cannot take the killing any more even though he knows he has only done what he has had to do. The boy he had to kill was too much for him to bear. He will not kill any more, but he will march on until he is killed. The 'gallows' is figurative. That is how it sounds to me.

BTW, this song might be drawn from Chris Ryan's novel, "10th Man Down." It was published shortly before the song was written. I have not read it.

Another to dissect for the night...

"I killed, he was just a boy Eight before him, I knew them all In the fields a dying oath: I�d kill them all to save my own"

A soldier lamenting how s/he had to kill someone who was so young, someone you got to know through the same purpose of fighting. IN the fields, you don't know if what you swore to do is worth it as you see the destruction, but you keep fighting now; not for your cause, but just to live.

"Cut me free, Bleed with me, Oh no One by one, We will fall, down down Pull the plug, End the pain, Run�n fight for life Hold on tight, this ain�t my fight"

Just let me die as they all bleed along with me; we are all hurt. Fighting and running for our lives, why am I fighting someone else's (the government's, perhaps?) battle?

"Deliver me from this war It�s not for me it�s because of you Devil�s instant my eternity Obey to kill to save yourself"

Get me out of the war, it wasn't created for me you did this to me and yourself! This is a momemnt the devil created taht will affect me forever, you have to kill just to live yourself.

"I envy the 9 lives that gave me hell My path made up by their torn bodies Man to man, soldier to soldier, dust to dust Call me a coward but I can�t take it anymore"

There were nine people dead now, I envy them they don't have to fight or kill anymore. We were just humans, then soldiers, now they all are dead (dust) call me fearful but I don't want to do this!

"They wait for me back home The live with eyes turned away They were the first ones to see They are the last ones to bleed"

My loved ones don't want to see what happened, they won't be hurt physically but in soul.

"The ultimate high as all beautiful dies A ruler�s tool, priest�s excuse, tyrant�s delight... I alone, the great white hunter I�ll march till the dawn brings me rest 10th patriot at the gallow�s pole!"

Only ugliness can be sustained here, This is how to maintain power, there's an excuse for the righteousness of war, this is what a tyrant enjoys. I am now alone as a hunter, I can only hunt until the dawn of peace or death brings me rest, the nine I killed died for their countries and I will be the tenth to pass a patriot..

I agree here, this isn't an official video, just a montage done by some guy who distributes it on the Internet. Oh and the song rocks big time. The song is about the horror of war and the moral choice and contradiction between to kill or be killed: "I´d kill them all to save my own " "Obey to kill to save yourself "

I can't believe no one has said anything about one of the best Nightwish songs! I feel it tells the story of a young man who fights in a war and has to kill his friends for his country. I could be wrong though....

this song is so awsome holy shit i cant evan explain

He killed 9 men in war and knows it was wrong. But now he won't continue and flee home, even though he knows everyone will think him a coward, blame him and most probably kill him. But he'll die anyway and does not want to kill another one.