Reviews for Masters Of War Lyrics

We could pick this song apart for a week
from an ideological standpoint. The bottom line
is, no matter what side of the fence you are on
you can't help but understand, it's a great
song, from the master of prose.

I could only hope that people would watch images of the horrors of war, and listen, really listen to these lyrics, but I see my hope was in vain

It's very easy to talk the way you do mister marksman, if you obviously have never experienced the horrors of war yourself.

But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
That even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do.

And I'm looking at you.

It is clear to me that Colonel Marksman does not see the stupidity in his own words.
He does not even see the obvious FACT that ALL the countries he mentioned in his little rant are currently going through a period of extreme poverty and exasperation. Not to mention: slavery, dictatorship and so on.
His lack of knowledge about demography is astounding. So is his lack of history.
The united states of America (the big one) was FOUNDED on the very principles he described in the beginning of his comment. That is exactly what the settlers did against the native population of America when they arrived. They have continued their "crusade" through time. "The crusade on evil" as Mr. Bush so nicely phrases it is just another way of controlling.
The American empire is not un-like the roman empire, and believe me, it will collapse. Not from the outside, no, it will be ripped apart by its own population.

"...and now the rest of the story"

Colonel Marksmen would have us believe in a notion of "benevolent conquerors."

Hmmmm... 200,000 Filipino citizens killed as the U.S. military "liberated" the islands' multitudinous natural resources for American Business Interests (how familiar).

And this is only one example... it's the same old story over and over. "Freedom" "Democracy" and "Progress" covering for "Money" "Land" and "Resources." Just go through the Congressional record at the time... back in those days they didn't even hide their true intentions, they say outright, and on the record, how desirable the area in mind is, and they usually accompany it with some lofty notions about God and the divine mandate of the white race.

Thanks goodness for musicians and artists who remind us of these things that Network News and mainstream educators rarely address!

People who protest war with America don't know their history.

When a nation conquers another, it is typical that you enslave the population, take the women so that the population can't reproduce (and is eventually erased from history), and induct the conquered peoples into the laws of your own land, making anyone willing (traitors usually) citizens of your own nation.

That is, until America reset the standard. The very first nation America conquered and defeated was Mexico, just before the Civil War. I mean, completely, 100% conquered. So, what did America do?

Paid millions upon millions of dollars to rebuild Mexico, PAID for the lands that she wanted, and helped support the Mexican government, and even sent materials and workers to rebuild what was destroyed, and helped protect it were it to be invaded or exploited by other nations.

Did you know that the Philippines was conquered by America? So was Cuba, and Guam, and a number of islands. All of these nations are self-running governments. America liberated them from Spain, and built up their militarizes and government.

Are the Philippines an American state? No. What about Guam? Oh yeah, Cuba is totally enslaved by America.


You idiots don't get it. Afghanistan and Iraq carry on the tradition of America using up its own resources for its own people, its own military, its own future, and invests it into another country to make it better.

Vietnam and Korea would be unified Republics if the politics didn't make all the changes to the wars. The Vietnam War would've been over in a few months, a few years at most, in American hands as the Americans help such nations improve, get a good military going, and hold off against the Communists. Instead, politics stepped in and said, "No, just try to contain the Communists. Don't fight them."


Now the government is being pressured. Should it succumb to the stupid people and allow Iraq and Afghanistan to fall under terrorist rule, jurisdiction, and under the leadership of a dictator? Or do you want us to continue our tradition and make the two countries better than they were?



Simpler than that. Are you in favor of Hitler ruling much of Europe? I hope not. If you weren't, then why are you in favor of Saddam Hussein, who killed millions of people, more than Hitler, to rule Iraq?

I am surprised by the number of comments that entirely missed the thrust of Dylan's message which was directed at the very military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about.

The U.S. has been in a near continuous state of war dating back to Pearl Harbor. The post-World War II engagements were not "just wars" carried out for self-defense, but instead entail imperial conquest.

This is why Dr. Martin Luther King in "Beyond Vietnam" said that his own government was "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."

Dylan was addressing the tiny segment of our society -- the economic elites at the pinnacle of the military-industrial complex who make a killing off the killing but never expose themselves to harm; who "lie and deceive" to convince us that war is necessary for our security when, in truth, it is only necessary to swell their bottom line.

But "all the money [they've] made will never buy back their soul[s]."

This song is poetry of it's time.
It voices the feelings of the young with right and justice in their hearts. Fine sentiments and vision but ultimately naive.
We may protest about war, reasons, the way it is committed, outcomes and errors, hard and long but it changes nothing.
As long as there is man there will be war.
Good wars, bad wars. All justification for one's beliefs and prejudices.
Dying is part of living.
Dying that we may live is the ultimate sacrifice.
Past, present and the future.
This song is like the mayfly, living only fleetingly and yet forever.
New generations, new wars, new truths.
It will be ever so.

This is one of the angriest songs Bob Dylan ever composed. He wrote and performed it when the US commitment to the War in Vietnam had peaked and public opinion was turning in favour of the Anti-war movement. Young conscriptees were being brought back in body bags, and that bought the stark reality of the war into sharp focus. Bob directs his rage against those who profited from the killing industry and who remain anonymous as others, young men, like himself do the dying for them. He implies that, although Jesus forgave Judas for his betrayal, he would never forgive the commanders of the military industrial complex, who, with their political spinmeisters dupe the public into accepting the inevitability of conflict in order to profit from the sale of weaponry. Bob delivers a fatal curse, knowing that these Masters of War can never be granted salvation for so heinous a crime. Bob may be a silver haired sage now, but this song still rocks.

in response to the comment below by 'sqtfon' no-one has any problem with going to war in order to fight for freedom what this song is about is when wars are manufactured by govts in order to make money for a bunch of fat f@cks in the arms industry - wars in which millions die and suffer needlessly and nothing is accomplished.

you mean he was not talking about my ex-wife? war is fun folks, its only those of you that are to timid or to ingnorant of the world that find the "Power" in this song. the reason you can write these comments, on a pc that you own, in your own house is because we have gone to war to fight. remember all of your rights and freedoms were won by the grunt on the ground with a musket, M1 grand or M16 in his hand.

This song is very powerful. I agree with everyword. People who critisise this, fair enough, an opinion is an opinion. But for a moment, just think, your children, your kids, have fear to come into the world, because of these guns, these guns supplied by the goverment! There not worth their blood, that runs in their veins.

Bob Dylan really put his heart and soul into this song to come up with perfect lyrics to get his point across. The sad truth is that the government really does cause pointless wars for others to fight. It has always been that way and probably always will be.

I disagree - There only "appears" to have been no effect on our world by such a powerful song -this is because the world is full of war as mankind will always be power hungry - not only governments but the individuals within governments AND tose who fund governments to best suit their own agenda (ie arms manufacturers who use governments as their middlemen/runners to pedal their filth). There HAS been a great effect however as Dylan's powerful poetry causes people to think and opens up debate - ultimately however, no matter how well he can express his point of view there will always be those at "the top" who like it there and will do anything to stay there. Master's of War is the beginning of a process of changing consciousness and a process adressing such an human abberation must in essence take a long time. To discount the effect of such important artistry is, to quote Uncle Tupelo, "apathy, as your vocal chord's cut out!" God bless people like Dylan, Earle, Springsteen, Farrar, Yussuf Islam, R.E.M, Pearl Jam...etc, etc - at least they ARE "standing up," why doesn't everyone else take a stand???

Bob Dylan is perhaps the greatest song writer to come out of America during the rock era. This song really makes a person think. I commend Bob for his courage in writing and performing this masterpiece. He's still going strong today.

How come nothing has happened since? This song is so old yet the people are still not standing up against the governments misstakes. I hope someone hears this song and thinks twce... Preferably a politician.

So Bob can be a happy man.