Apocalypta

Lyrics

[Verse 1: Ozi Batla] The command came, hold your fire And if I ever meet that man I'll ask him, why we're put on standby, while the scenario got dire? Peacekeeper with no teeth, can inforce no peace and just becomes an eyewitness to grief Number of times I wished to leave Couldn't believe that we were here for nothing more than the lip service Nothing more than the empire servants, trigger finger, oh so nervous Number of times I almost let the bullets go, the footage shows The day approached to the checkpoint, with hands raised, the civilian closed Vince didn't shoot and he went home, awaiting an inquest, who's to know? If the punishment could be worse, in his own thoughts when he's all alone And I wish he could've been here, when we really needed a shooter We stood by and watched as the town we protected was pillaged, raped and looted We were hamstrung, the commands come from HQ And blood on their hands is the last thing they wanna report the politicians that they answer to So what am I supposed to do? Why am I here, dyin' of fear? That the faces staring up at me will continue to appear And the dreams that wake me up in fits and sweats, and all the counsellor has said Won't let me forget about Trebinje yet [Instrumental Break] [Verse 2: Urthboy] Overnight trucks in convoy, butte red cross on the side and the back Escorted by two junior officers on the off chance they'd be attacked On a private contract, roads are gauntlet, trouble none yet reported Guards get little commission as we ride the soldier and reach the border Now he's got medical supplies for a refugee camp, humanitarian mission Held up a week at customs, took over a month to ship from Switzerland He knows nobody were listening, and as the burials start increasing So he keeps the frustration under wraps as seen that it's self-defeating And though he joined up to make a difference, good intentions can turn out vicious As they helplessly provide aid for cancer disbanded militias They got caches of illegal arms, hidden away in the country-side Former colonial rules ensure they get yet more clandestine supply Seeing they won't as broken down to their former selves Til they're not so afraid of death 'cause they've already seen hell The danger pay is good but every cent that he gets is earnt And he's alive, but burnin' out, driving through the scorched earth Then all in all, it's worth it even if it's for the little victories Standing by as a witness to the dark rumblings of history [Instrumental Break] [Verse 3: Berzerkatron] We left home as heroes with photo ops and press releases A handshake from the minister and a speech of freedom Shining beacons of democracy, the monitors of freedom's fair elections Midwifes to assist the birth of a distant fledgling nation As we taxied out of Williamstown, you could smell the nerves in the Hercules Excitement and uncertainty, prestigious posting overseas We deployed through the provinces, our project voter education To dispel fears of retribution well to local staff and a Thai policeman Campaign worked and ten months later The battle was held and turned out greater than expected The result unknown, then the call came through on the satellite phone (Projectiles thrown in some locations, mobs attacking holding stations) HQ called evacuation and ordered our withdrawal We sheltered in the compound while militias torched the town The glow of burning buildings as night fell, had tensions running high The flow of refugees [?] to the protection of our presence Automatic gunfire rang out premeditated menace And calls for backup to Canberra were met with silence and indecision Domestic interventions outside the mandate of this mission And at dawn the order came, for all essential personnel At 0900 the choppers would come to fly us out of hell Now how can I meet the eye of this man that I've worked beside And tell him that I'm free to leave today while he is sure to die? I wanna hide, don't understand how these people can be abandoned And I wonder, if the minister will be there to meet us when we land