Disposable Heroes

From MetallicaWiki

Disposable Heroes is the fifth track on Metallica's 1986 album Master Of Puppets.

The lyrics deal with a soldier's thoughts, actions and experiences at the war front and are sung in the first person, except for the chorus, which reflects the words of the soldier's commanding officers, and is in the second person. The soldier briefly describes the dehumanizing conditions of war, the death of those around him and the helplessness that comes with the realization of his life's lack of meaning, but he also questions the madness of which he is part. During the chorus, we hear the domineering and abusive words of the person at the top of the military command, the perceived "puppet master": "You will do what I say / when I say 'Back to the front!'" At the end, the soldier has given up, emotionlessly accepting his fate and soon-to-come death.

The lyrics fit well with the album's general theme of feeling helpless and imprisoned, and lack of control over one's own actions. In fact, the album cover, depicting a seemingly endless war cemetery, with each gravestone attached to the hands of the puppet master via a string (reference to Master Of Puppets), relates more closely to this song than to any other song from the album.

Disposable Heroes was first demoed in mid 1985, months before the recording and subsequent release of the album. In this early rendition, the song doesn't differ much from its final version, the only notable difference being the extra minute of length, due to the presence of another fast riff, which would later be omitted, to become part of Damage, Inc., the final song on the album.

Lyrics

Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end
No one to play soldier now, no one to pretend
Running blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all
Victim of what said should be, a servant till I fall

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

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
You coward, you servant, you blind man

Barking of machine-gun fire does nothing to me now
Sounding of the clock that ticks, get used to it somehow
More a man, more stripes you wear, glory-seeker trends
Bodies fill the fields I see
The slaughter never ends

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

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
You coward, you servant, you blind man

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

I was born for dying

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

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. Greetings, Death,
He's yours to take away

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
You coward, you servant, you blind man

Back to the front

Notes

Written By: Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammett
Copyright © 1986 Creeping Death Music (ASCAP)
International Copyright Secured
All Rights Reserved