Proud Man

I stand in the forest Of headstones marking the fallen Where a statue freshly erected A monument of the proud man I stood and watched the podium Where Rich men made their speeches Thanking the young and restless For dieing for their riches They spoke of heroes And valiant acts Service to country The young's embrace of death As I struggled to climb To stand on the podium As a guest and visitor Another pawn for their riches I stepped toward the mic To speak of my brothers The valiant in life The martyrs of our nation I looked at the faces Young men and women Smiling at me The next crop of victims Tomorrows heroes standing in front With heads held high Ready to charge and kill The next poor brown nation I opened my mouth To warn the next generation Of the hero's way of life And the white stone that marks his monument I spoke at last, though words left me And stepped through the curtain Where the blindfolded crowd In menacing silence, awaited me I saw futures martyrs Skeletons of tomorrow’s dead I told them in the hope Reject our father’s course-- the path to infamy If life is to be restored We must burn our father’s illusions And their bloody blade To escape the proud delusion There are No Heroes Only Dead Men.