Lyric discussion by RyanWolfeh 

Cover art for Disposable Heroes lyrics by Metallica

I've always felt this song is about how soldiers are treated as 'Disposable heroes', as being a soldier is to be considered a 'hero's' job in the eyes of civilians, they're just taking a bullet for the old men back home that started the war.

Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end No one to play soldier now, no one to pretend

No more children's dreams of being a soldier and a hero when you're older, this shit's for real and you're quick to realise.

Running blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all Victim of what said should be, a servant 'til I fall

Basically what you go through during a battle, 'running blind through killing fields', 'bred to kill them all' refering to how you're trained to fire a weapon, but born to kill others.

Soldier boy, made of clay Now an empty shell Twenty one, only son But he served us well Bred to kill, not to care Just do as we say Finished here, greeting Death He's yours to take away

Every soldier is an individual, the government acts as if it's a huge loss to lose one soldier to the relatives, but for those he fought for he was nothing but a pawn.

Back to the front You will do, what I say, when I say Back to the front you will die, when I say, you must die Back to the front

If you're called in for duty, you MUST go. Soldiers of the Red Army (The USSR's Army) always had to keep moving forward to the German lines, with or without a weapon, which were scarce anyhow, seeing as 25 million Red Army soldiers have died during WW2. Just cannon fodder. And if the soldiers ran back to their 'comrades', they would get shot by them.

You coward You servant You blind man

You're signing up to be used as a pawn, you're a servant and a blind man.

Barking of machine gun fire, does nothing to me now Sounding of the clock that ticks, got used to it somehow

Living in war the entire time somehow gets people used to it, no longer questioning whatever orders they get and blindly running into machine gun fire. Kinda tying in with the whole 'Master of Puppets' idea.

More a man, more stripes you bare, glory seeker trends Bodies fill the fields I see, the slaughter never ends

Generals always have a lot of medals and stripes, soldiers are basically drawn in by the stripes you get for killing others. But you're quick to realise the fields are just filling with bodies, slaughter never ending.

Why, am I dying Kill, have no fear Lie, live off lying Hell, hell is here

I was born for dying!

Realisation what a mistake it was to join the army, and therefore thinking he was born just to die for his 'country'.

Life planned out before my birth, nothing could I say Had no chance to see myself, molded day by day Looking back I realize, nothing have I done Left to die with only friend, alone I clench my gun

Being all alone on a battlefield with all your friends dead around, what else can you do but clench your gun tight and hum this song.

My Interpretation