This song tells a story about a brilliant and battle-torn general who has a dream in which he realizes the futility of war. He then attempts to persuade his men that they do not have to participate in the battle, but that he would fulfill the job he had sworn to do. He wants them to leave and live a full life, but none of his men will leave him. (thanks, Jim - Pittsburgh, PA)
Dispatch's vocalist and guitarist, Chad Urmston, told us that this song is even more relevant now than it was in 1998: "It's more relevant today than it was when I wrote it. I've always been fascinated by war and been lucky enough not to have the hands in experience. But I can understand that it must be hell and that there's also a deep sense of brother/sisterhood that is unique to that experience." (Here's our full Chad Urmston interview.)
Urmston told us this song was inspired by "a summer of playing Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand† constantly."
In The Best of Dispatch, Chad Urmston explains: "This was our anti-war song. Although it was primarily based on the Civil War, the message was not confined to that particular conflict. We were too young to be directly involved in the Gulf War; nevertheless, the sense of a troubled history rings loud in the heads of young men who grow up listening to grandfathers or fathers recount war stories. The crowd response to this song always blew us away. Some said it had a 'Castles Made of Sand' feel - any reference to Hendrix we took gladly. We recorded the song up in the northeast kingdom on borrowed instruments. Our hazy-eyed hairball engineer swayed like a derelict wrecking ball over the console like a played-out carnie with nothing to show for a lifetime of swindling. His down-to-the-filter cigarette wandered listlessly with a skeletal droop of ash as he leaned on his crippled office chair teasing gravity. He ended up giving in to his heavy eyes and passing out on the couch with his feet up, still holding the cigarette as Brad and I took turns pressing the 'record' and 'locate' buttons." (thanks, Tim - Pittsburgh, PA)
