One Tin Soldier

Back in the 70’s, during the Vietnam war, there were many who had the audacity to suggest we not be involved and along with that was a desire on the part of many to integrate society into the ways of peace and love without regard for race, color, creed…they still found a way to ignore people back then and continued to be involved in Vietnam, today it is considered by most involved to have been a war we had no business being involved in, but would things be different in that part of the world if we had not?

War sucks either way, but sometimes you can not turn a blind eye and allow it to transpire, sometimes it is necessary to fight…not doing something is worse for those innocents involved. I do not believe the motives are always spelled out…the current situation in Syria is evidence to that…but just about every war in the history of mankind came down to greed and religion in the last 4000 years at least. Before that it was still greed being the main factor.

I was a teenager when the movie Billy Jack came out…it was a terrible production for a movie and was very cheesy to most who watched it…I was moved to tears by the message many times then and recently I decided to watch the movie again…you can do so here…www.justin.tv...
it is still a terrible production and the acting is 2nd rate, but the message is unmistakable…you can only be a pacifist for so long…sometimes you have to fight.

The lyrics to the song that I heard from that movie are poignant…they kill in the name of religion and greed…they hate their neighbors…this world is still very much the same way with one huge difference…the technology we have today and the ability to use the internet for useful purposes at this time is still possible.

I WISH I could make everyone stop and listen to these words and force all of them to understand their meaning…I would force every leader of every country to sit down at the UN and blare this song out of speakers in every Language and dialect as loud as the volume would go. I know there are other songs with just as important lyrics that have just as much meaning…what song would you suggest the world leaders listen to? John Lennon, Imagine…5th Dimension, Age of Aquarius,…Barry Maguire, Eve of Destruction…I am sure you can come up with more.


www.lyricsmode.com...

One Tin Soldier

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 judgment day
On the bloody morning after who...
One tin 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 brothers, we will share…All the secrets of our mountain…All the riches buried there"

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…Turn the stone and looks 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 judgment day
On the bloody morning after who...
One tin soldier rides away

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 judgment day
On the bloody morning after who...
One tin soldier rides away

Soul

Great old song with a message that still holds true .. would recommend adding : war - edwin starr , sky pilot - eric burdon and the animals , whats that sound - buffalo springfield .. several good ones that could add to the list .. times may have changed but the message remains the same.

reply to post by soulpowertothendegree


Music was so powerful back then.
I keep looking and listening for the message in today's music.
It's there all over but has been chopped up into a million segments, infinite genres .
There isn't a way to get one song to everyone anymore, it seems to me.
James McMurtry

He comes to mind and many others but unless it's a American Idol winner, I don't think the masses would ever hear it.

What a song! I was a child of the 70's and Billy Jack was symbolic of the tumultuous times surrounding us. Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor have continued to be active in politics. I believe he ran for office several times, but was defeated. Billy Jack was probably one of the more impressionable movies for the younger generation at that time making it a surprise hit at the box office. The theme song has remained one of my favorites through the years and have fond memories of singing it with my friends. Thanks for posting the movie. I am anxious to watch it again.

1- There are no "innocents" in this world, only those who are ignorant to the disgusting truth of it.

2-Wars don't happen without ignorant "cannon fodder" to participate in those wars.

Some say history is about to repeat itself, and only through ignorance will it. If something seems that maybe it isn't the right thing to do, don't do it just because everyone around you is cheering for it.

A million ( or however many...) people can't be wrong?, Sorry, they can be, most are....

War is a "crime against humanity", War is a "war crime", War is murder.

reply to post by MyHappyDogShiner


Until there is a war to end all wars, war ain't gonna stop.

Guess your ignorance doesn't make you an innocent, according to you. We'll remember that.

reply to post by TarzanBeta

I have actually been in a combat zone, have you?. If you have, how can you support going to war?, ignorant?, by choice?.

Ignorance isn't by choice, ever. Ignorance is not knowing, never having been exposed to something in any way. Once exposed to something and having any understanding of it at all, it becomes something completely different.

here you go.



i like both movies. born losers and billy jack.
also i remember all of young kids, walking around in a group singing one tin soldier.

i forgot there was a third movie, the trial of billy jack. i didn't care that one to much. it was kinda long and drawn out.

Most people in the US have certainly been convinced that it is patriot duty to support war. The boogie man is coming to get you otherwise. People even make money selling stickers.

reply to post by roadgravel


It's not all glorious and full of honor like on the TV, it's terrifying and loud, it's very smelly and can really hurt a lot both physically and mentally when you get back on the block and have a hard time relearning how to act.

There is no glory or honor in it, and hasn't been for quite some years, although many who know no better believe otherwise.

I was a member of one of them there "elite" forces, and am not proud of the things I did when I was too young and impressionable to know better.

I can find no proof to satisfy me that there is more than just here and now, so I don't consider eternity, and refuse to deprive anyone else of the "now" in belief that I will be forgiven later if I am mistaken.

Reality is what remains after one stops believing in everything else.

MyHappyDogShiner
reply to post by TarzanBeta

 

I have actually been in a combat zone, have you?. If you have, how can you support going to war?, ignorant?, by choice?.

Ignorance isn't by choice, ever. Ignorance is not knowing, never having been exposed to something in any way. Once exposed to something and having any understanding of it at all, it becomes something completely different.

I've been in worse war zones than you've ever been in.

Chew on that humpty dumpty.

If you're not considering a moment beyond your own, then you're still a child.

reply to post by TarzanBeta

How could you possibly know?, what the hell are you jabbering about?, be quiet you damned troll!.