War

1. By Edwin Starr War

2. War, huh, yeahWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingUh-huhWar, huh, yeahWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingSay it again, y'allWar, huh, good GodWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingListen to me

3. Ohhh, war, I despiseBecause it means destructionOf innocent livesWar means tearsTo thousands of mothers eyesWhen their sons go to fightAnd lose their livesI said, war, huhGood God, y'allWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingSay it again

4. War, whoa, LordWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingListen to meWar, it ain't nothingBut a heartbreakerWar, friend only to the undertakerOoooh, warIt's an enemy to all mankindThe point of war blows my mindWar has caused unrestWithin the younger generationInduction then destruction

5. Who wants to dieAaaaah, war-huhGood God y'allWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingSay it, say it, say itWar, huhWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingListen to me

6. War, huh, yeahWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingUh-huhWar, huh, yeahWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingSay it again y'allWar, huh, good GodWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingListen to me

7. War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreakerWar, it's got one friendThat's the undertakerOoooh, war, has shatteredMany a young mans dreamsMade him disabled, bitter and meanLife is much to short and preciousTo spend fighting wars these daysWar can't give lifeIt can only take it away

8. Ooooh, war, huhGood God y'allWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingSay it againWar, whoa, LordWhat is it good forAbsolutely nothingListen to me

9. War, it ain't nothing but a heartbreakerWar, friend only to the undertakerPeace, love and understandingTell me, is there no place for them todayThey say we must fight to keep our freedomBut Lord knows there's got to be a better way

10. Ooooooh, war, huhGood God y'allWhat is it good forYou tell meSay it, say it, say it, say itWar, huhGood God y'allWhat is it good forStand up and shout itNothing

11. Edwin Starr • He was born Charles Hatcher on January 21, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the cousin of soul music performer Roger Hatcher, but grew up in a non-musical household. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was transferred to Europe. While in Europe, he performed in numerous clubs between Berlin and Amsterdam, honing the style that would eventually bring him fame when he returned to the United States. When Edwin returned to the U.S., he was invited to join Bill Doggett’s band as a featured vocalist. Shortly after, he formed a new band called the Future Tones. His most popular song was “War”, which he first sang in 1968. Edwin Starr died of a heart attack in England in 2003. (Walker) Back

12. Vietnam War • The Vietnam War was a conflict that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The main purpose of this war was stopping the spread of communism. Most U.S. citizens did not like this war at all. There were many anti-war protests against the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. It was a very unpopular war and many people thought it was useless. (“The Vietnam War”) Back

13. Theme • “Absolutely nothing” is a good theme for this song because the main idea is about anti-war. In the song, Edwin Starr asks the question, what is war good for? He goes on to say that it is good for absolutely nothing. When he says this, he is showing the anti-war theme that was popular during his time. Back

14. Destruction • There were over 2.5 million men and women that served in the Vietnam War. Almost 60,000 of these soldiers were killed. More than 800,000 continue to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders which have resulted in many suicides, incarcerations, and in alcohol and drug abuse. As you can see, when Edwin Starr was talking about destruction, he wasn’t joking. This goes along with the theme of anti-war and how war can lead to bad things. (Laurent) Back

15. Innocent Lives • In the Vietnam War, there was an incident called the My Lai Massacre. It was a plan by an angry group soldiers in the U.S. army to go into a small Vietnamese village and kill everyone in it. Most of these people were unarmed citizens including women, children, and the elderly. The song says that in war, there are innocent people killed, and the My Lai Massacre is a good example of that. (“The My Lai Massacre”) Back

16. Rhyme Scheme • A rhyme scheme is a regular pattern of rhyme, one that is consistent throughout the extent of a song or poem. In this particular verse, the rhyme scheme is AABCDC, which means that the first line rhymes with the second line, and the fourth line rhymes with the last line. The third and fifth lines do no rhyme with anything. Back

17. Undertaker • An undertaker is another name for a funeral director. In this song, it says that war only has one friend, and that’s the undertaker. This is just saying that the only thing war does is take away lives. This is also talking more about the anti-war theme and how there is really no point to war. Back

18. Metaphor • A metaphor is a comparison between two things where one thing is said to be another. In this song, Edwin Starr says that war is “an enemy to all mankind.” When he says this, he means that because of all the killing, war could potentially end human life. By comparing war to an enemy of mankind, Starr reminds us of how anti-war protests were a big part of the Vietnam War. Back

19. Repetition • Repetition is a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for effect or emphasis. In this verse of the song, the phrase “say it” is repeated three times. The artist is just indicating how important the previous lines are. This is also emphasizing the importance of war being good for nothing. (“A Glossary of Terms”) Back

20. Allegory • Allegory is a symbolic representation. It is when an object, person, or action in a narrative is equated with a meaning outside the narrative itself. In this case, “heartbreaker” can be a representation of how the war had broken many people’s hearts. It can be literally breaking soldiers’ hearts when they die in battle, or if someone back at home has a broken heart because of someone they lost in the war. Back

21. Disabled, bitter, and mean • In this song, it says that the war has shattered many of young men’s dreams, and that that it made them disabled, bitter, and mean. This is a good explanation of how the war changed people’s lives. After the war, soldiers came back to the U.S. very different from when they left. They had many physical and also psychological difficulties that resulted from being in war. Life was not the same for the returning soldiers, which made many people angry that we even fought in the Vietnam War. (Romo, Zastrow, and Miller) Back

22. Peace, love, and understanding • These three words are the main ideas for this song. They are examples of what the anti-war movement was all about. Because of all the anti-war protests and ideas, the U.S. was taken out of Vietnam. Songs like this were a major part of the anti-war movement and they helped get the U.S. out of Vietnam.(“The United States”) Back

23. Citations Walker, Bruce. "Edwin Starr Biography." Musician Guide. Net Industries, n.d.      Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004259/      Edwin-Starr.html>. "The Vietnam War." The History Place. The History Place, 1999. Web. 31 May 2010.      <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/>. Laurent, Pauline. "Vietnam: An Overview." Grief Denied: A Vietnam Widow's Story.      N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.griefdenied.com/      overview.html>. "The My Lai Massacre." American Experience. PBS, 29 Mar. 2005. Web. 31 May 2010.      <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/trenches/my_lai.html>. Literary Devices. Online Learning Centre, Saskatoon Public Schools, 2008. Web.      31 May 2010. <http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/resources/litdevices/      index.html>. "A Glossary of Terms for Literary Analysis." Wallkill Central School District.      N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us/      glt.htm>.

24. Citations Romo, Barry, Pete Zastrow, and Joe Miller. "History of the U.S. War in Vietnam." Vietnam Veterans Against the War. N.p., 2002. Web. 31 May 2010.      <http://www.vvaw.org/about/warhistory.php>. "The United States Antiwar Movement and the Vietnam War." Study World. Oakwood      Publishing Company, n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://www.studyworld.com/      Antiwar_Movement.htm>. Vietnam War Helicopters. N.d. JPG file. Edwin Starr. N.d. GIF file. Vietnam War Protest. N.d. JPG file. Vietnam Veterans Memorial. N.d. JPG file. Anti War Movement. N.d. JPG file. Stop War. N.d. JPG file.