Sad to see I'm the only one to comment on this song. :( I'll make it a long comment then.
Great punk song, inspired by the Northern Ireland struggles (fellow NI punks the Undertones accused SLF of 'selling' the conflict). Possibly referencing both 'Straw Dogs', a banned film starring Dustin Hoffman, and 'Dogs Of War' by Frederick Forsyth and of course T.S. Eliot's the Hollow Men, which was quoted in 'Apocalypse Now' (all of these came out around the time the song was made):
"We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw."
All in all, a many-pronged attack on the British Army, equating them with a Nazi Army of Aryan ideals ('hard-nosed blue-eyed boys'), and with a animal's morality and straw - therefore with not the justification of a warrior to kill but that of a flimsy -straw - animal.
The lyrics are mostly ironic until the fast-paced finale following the final chorus. The usage of 'cousins' and 'kin' reference the fact that the British soldiers in fact had no relation among the Northern Irish and no place being there (in their opinion), with therefore nothing to fight for.
'Pound for pound we'll take the shilling' means that the soldiers will not fight on equal terms with their enemy - further building the image of them being dogs of 'straw'. Many of the lines in this song are dialectic, the SLF picking up on the contradictions in the British cause ...
'fight for freedom ... but not for free'
'might is right ... if the price is right'
'admit you must admire our guts ... if only cos they're hanging out'
The song is comparable to their song 'Tin Soldiers', equally vocal in its admiration for the British Army's efforts in Northern Ireland. All in all, one of their best, with a strong hook, musically and lyrically.
Sad to see I'm the only one to comment on this song. :( I'll make it a long comment then. Great punk song, inspired by the Northern Ireland struggles (fellow NI punks the Undertones accused SLF of 'selling' the conflict). Possibly referencing both 'Straw Dogs', a banned film starring Dustin Hoffman, and 'Dogs Of War' by Frederick Forsyth and of course T.S. Eliot's the Hollow Men, which was quoted in 'Apocalypse Now' (all of these came out around the time the song was made):
"We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw."
All in all, a many-pronged attack on the British Army, equating them with a Nazi Army of Aryan ideals ('hard-nosed blue-eyed boys'), and with a animal's morality and straw - therefore with not the justification of a warrior to kill but that of a flimsy -straw - animal. The lyrics are mostly ironic until the fast-paced finale following the final chorus. The usage of 'cousins' and 'kin' reference the fact that the British soldiers in fact had no relation among the Northern Irish and no place being there (in their opinion), with therefore nothing to fight for. 'Pound for pound we'll take the shilling' means that the soldiers will not fight on equal terms with their enemy - further building the image of them being dogs of 'straw'. Many of the lines in this song are dialectic, the SLF picking up on the contradictions in the British cause ...
'fight for freedom ... but not for free' 'might is right ... if the price is right' 'admit you must admire our guts ... if only cos they're hanging out'
The song is comparable to their song 'Tin Soldiers', equally vocal in its admiration for the British Army's efforts in Northern Ireland. All in all, one of their best, with a strong hook, musically and lyrically.