Bone Orchard - Unravel (A Soldier's Lament) - 1988/2023

Ⓒ Corcoran 1988 Ⓟ Corcoran BMI 2023

Wrote this back in 1988 after I saw the movie "Platoon" for the first time. The song is from the point of view of someone who is forced to fight in someone else's bright idea of a war, one that they do not believe in nor understand the point of, whether it is American conscripts during the second half of the Vietnam war or Russian cannon-fodder being needlessly expended in Ukraine currently. Those who create such nightmares should be the ones forced to live and die in them, not the rest of us.

All instruments and vocals courtesy of M. Corcoran (the "last man standing").

Lyrics:

It seems like we’ve been here before.
Got no idea what I’m fighting for.
And all I know is that I’m scared to death.
And I pray to God this ain’t my last breath.

As I unravel and my friends fall down
As I unravel as I hit the ground.
Yeah, I unravel and my seams are showing.
As I unravel and my mind is blown
Yeah, I unravel….
Yeah, I unravel….

And my dad says that it must be done
And he’d proud to give up his son.
And my mom says, “There’s no sense to it”.
And my mom says, “Just get thru it”.

As I unravel and my friends fall down
As I unravel as I hit the ground.
Yeah, I unravel and my seams are showing.
As I unravel and my mind is blown
Yeah, I unravel….
Yeah, I unravel….

As I lay here, I taste the blood.
I don’t stand so tall lying in the mud.
And I dream of things that I’d rather be
And places that I’d rather be.

As I unravel and my friends fall down
As I unravel as I hit the ground.
Yeah, I unravel and my seams are showing.
As I unravel and my mind is blown
Yeah, I unravel….
Yeah, I unravel….
Yeah, I unravel….