Song Meaning

These lyrics paint a grim picture of war, not as a clash of ideals, but as a cold, calculated business. The battlefield becomes a "market place," where human lives are merely a "body count." It's a stark, unsettling vision of conflict driven by profit. The central tension here lies in the chilling detachment of the profiteer, addressed as "You." The lyrics suggest a figure who "don't care how long it takes" as long as "Acquisitions mounting high." This transformation from a vague entity to a "corporation" highlights how war can become an industry, perpetuating itself across "Decades go rolling by." The most striking craft element is the relentless repetition of "Spoils - spoils of war." This phrase, initially ambiguous, becomes a devastating indictment as the lyrics enumerate the true "spoils": "No country," "Starving children," "Disease and famine." The listing transforms the abstract concept of war's gains into a concrete catalog of human suffering, making the phrase a heavy, inescapable truth. Ultimately, these lyrics are effective because they strip away any pretense of glory or necessity from conflict. By equating war with a cynical business venture and its outcomes with profound human misery, the writing forces the listener to confront the devastating, cyclical nature of violence. The final image of walls coming down only to reveal "another Somalia" underscores a profound sense of futility and despair.