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
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