Another way to have some understand of war is to acknowledge that man is an instinctually aggressive creature. He is lying in wait for an opportunity to release his inborn survival skills on a target, either in his immmediate sights or against opposing (enemy) ideologies. A locale supports an army for various reasons. e.g., retribution, protection, territory, gain, economics, politics etc.But the appeal here is to hold the individual soldier responsible for restraining his killing prowess ...
It is painfully obvious, but it's important to discuss the meaning of this song. I would speak 1000 hours on this before I would suggest we don't talk about it. We are all "Universal Soldiers", going to war as it's our "duty" and not our choice. Wake up America, fighting for peace is an oxymoron.
@dang9669 Nobody is forcing anybody to go to war nowadays. This song was written in the '60s, when Americans were being DRAFTED. This is no longer the case. I believe Donovan was referring to the ACTUAL soldiers who are drafted into war and blindly follow orders to kill. You say fighting for peace is an oxymoron... I say peace is an oxymoron.
Donovan didn't write the song...Buffy Sainte Marie did...
your statement makes no sense...drafted soldiers don't follow "blindly", they follow reluctantly. Its those that join willingly that follow orders blindly. Peace is OXYgen...moron. "This is not the way you put an end to war".
@dang9669 I wasn't aware Buffy Sainte Marie wrote this song. In this case, it makes even more sense, as she was born just after the end of World War 2. I don't think this song is putting blame just on those who sign up for war. It's the UNIVERSAL soldier, and his orders come from far away no more.
yeah , we elect the politicians , but they elect those under themselfes who THEY want to lead. Its not democracy , it's some weird turned upside down facist-capitalism thing . lets call it Dicalism . How do WE actually control the actions of ppl that stand in no real context to us ? we dont . WE're still not much more then slaves , too much of us (btw , i'm talkin bout all humans) crawl for the good life of politicians we didnt even want where they are .
I totally agree with this song and plan on posting it on facebook on memorial day, but I had one weird observation. I've seen a couple of montage videos of this song today and when it comes to the lyrics "He's all of thirty-one" they show a picture of a guy in his 60's.
To the idiotic people who say this song takes soldiers for granted yada yada is missing the point of the song in its entierety, symbolic MAN, there has always been and will always be war because thats the way humans are. This song says the only way to stop war is if there were no humans to start it.
I first heard Donovando this when I was 22 or 23....now, I am 62....The same tiny tears and choked-up throat come every time......Only more so now than ever.......
If you want even a touch of self-respect, and some sense of 'doing the good'...then Please, Make Peace any way you can manage..every minute, every day...
GOD IS (still) LOVE... all war is(always) hell...Strive On Friends...
we are all children of the one god we can kill nothing that lives but that god gave all to live any death blashemes god why blaspheme the living,loving grace that we do to the least we do to him we kill him one deasth at a time till at the end all that remains is the living god still living live time [now] as he allways will still loving us all but then once more alone come together in his time [now] forget about nanmes know him by our living
Soldiers aren't to blame for war. They merely follow orders, earning a living. Megolamatic Dictators, ambitious generals and greedy politicians are to blame for war.
they are not to blame for war. War happens because people cannot negotiate without violence. A soldier doesn't choose who to kill. They have no choice, it is either themselves and their country that goes or the enemy. It is too bad that war exists but it happens.
that's kind of the point of the song, it's not the soldier it's everyone. it's the soldiers who kill, the generals who instruct them to kill, the politicians instruct the generals, and we elect the politicians. no one ideology or person or country is to blame, it's all of us.
@hidalgodaniel It is too easy to vaguely condemn humanity.
There is more to being a soldier than killing and being tough, it is a way of thinking, of operating as a part of a unit. Once a soldier starts considering the moral implications of every action he takes he no longer thinks like a soldier and the system stops working.
You do not need to be in the military to think like a soldier and those in the military can always decide to stop thinking like soldiers.
@hidalgodaniel No, no, no you're missing the point. It's not all of us, it's not " no one", and it's certainly not me. It's very specific people who are morally responsible. Politicians, generals and soldiers, they're all complicit of murder.
What I love about the song is that it's brave enough to actually call individual soldiers on their own responsibility. The "troops" are murderer, always were, always will be.
If there were no war and no soldiers there would be no freedom and we wouldn't have many rights. Stop taking what the soldiers do for granted. They fight for you and all they need is support. Think about other countries and what they go through some countries aren't aloud to listen to different types of music or watch certain tv shows. All I'm trying to say is be grateful and thankful feel blessed that people died for you, for me, and the country.
I repeat 'without soldiers, there would be no war!' If there were no potential for fighting, there would be freedom for all. If the politicians could get no one to fight for them, how could there be loss of freedom? Now I know that can never happen but it is the reality of the human condition, nonetheless. We can blame no one but ourselves for the state of the world.
And if there was no one to fight, why shall I be protected by someone? I don't want anyone to fight for me, I never even asked anybody to do so and if every soldier gave up his weapon, then there would be no fight anymore, and as long as there are soldiers, they are to be blamed for being soldiers because they don't see, that killing is not the right way and never will be.
Do you not understand that NO SOLDIER WANTS TO KILL?! Do you not understand that NOBODY WANTS TO GO TO WAR? Soldiers are ordinary people too. Nobody wants to go to war and kill somebody. Of course killing is not the right way, but if people cannot work things out than war is our only choice. If another country decides to start war than wouldn't you fight for your own country and try to protect yourself?
And then there is the interpretaion of what a war is, an occupation, military operations, mass murder, terrorism, surgical strikes, and oppression. Are all these things war? or reasons to start one? Btw im writing this in an army barrack..
Your interpretation- thanks for sharing your astonishing talent. Baez, Donovan, Dylan- this leaves them trite & overly marketed. Thanks!
foucault1020 2 months ago
Marlene was going to record this song in german!
Thanks for posting!
Aloha from Hawaii!
Rudipolt 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Another way to have some understand of war is to acknowledge that man is an instinctually aggressive creature. He is lying in wait for an opportunity to release his inborn survival skills on a target, either in his immmediate sights or against opposing (enemy) ideologies. A locale supports an army for various reasons. e.g., retribution, protection, territory, gain, economics, politics etc.But the appeal here is to hold the individual soldier responsible for restraining his killing prowess ...
20092u 8 months ago
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20092u 8 months ago
Comment removed
20092u 8 months ago
Donovan copped out on this song when he changed the words. They originally said "He's the Universal Soldier and he really is to blame
But his orders come from far away no more
They come from HIM
& you and me"
Not "from here & there and you & me".
74hodag 1 year ago
youtube.com/watch?v=yrtPzacODik&NR=1
Camino a la Libertad - David Icke - Capitulo 2 Parte 9
LaReinadePicas4 1 year ago
who painted that picture at 1:20?
MisterHankey009 1 year ago
Do you guys really need to discuss the meaning of the song on here? It should be painfully obvious, if it isn't, I'm worried.
GoldenGhettoFilms 1 year ago
@GoldenGhettoFilms
It is painfully obvious, but it's important to discuss the meaning of this song. I would speak 1000 hours on this before I would suggest we don't talk about it. We are all "Universal Soldiers", going to war as it's our "duty" and not our choice. Wake up America, fighting for peace is an oxymoron.
dang9669 1 year ago
@dang9669 Nobody is forcing anybody to go to war nowadays. This song was written in the '60s, when Americans were being DRAFTED. This is no longer the case. I believe Donovan was referring to the ACTUAL soldiers who are drafted into war and blindly follow orders to kill. You say fighting for peace is an oxymoron... I say peace is an oxymoron.
"Only the dead will see the end of war".
GoldenGhettoFilms 1 year ago
@GoldenGhettoFilms
Donovan didn't write the song...Buffy Sainte Marie did...
your statement makes no sense...drafted soldiers don't follow "blindly", they follow reluctantly. Its those that join willingly that follow orders blindly. Peace is OXYgen...moron. "This is not the way you put an end to war".
dang9669 1 year ago
@dang9669 I wasn't aware Buffy Sainte Marie wrote this song. In this case, it makes even more sense, as she was born just after the end of World War 2. I don't think this song is putting blame just on those who sign up for war. It's the UNIVERSAL soldier, and his orders come from far away no more.
GoldenGhettoFilms 1 year ago
yeah , we elect the politicians , but they elect those under themselfes who THEY want to lead. Its not democracy , it's some weird turned upside down facist-capitalism thing . lets call it Dicalism . How do WE actually control the actions of ppl that stand in no real context to us ? we dont . WE're still not much more then slaves , too much of us (btw , i'm talkin bout all humans) crawl for the good life of politicians we didnt even want where they are .
Zleepy187 1 year ago
I totally agree with this song and plan on posting it on facebook on memorial day, but I had one weird observation. I've seen a couple of montage videos of this song today and when it comes to the lyrics "He's all of thirty-one" they show a picture of a guy in his 60's.
Barrettfloyd82 1 year ago
Great song. In fact a timeless great song !
( until things will change - if they ever will in this world ..)
......but even then, still a great song to remind ...
123ThisIsMe 1 year ago
War sucks.
Gerdutch 1 year ago
donovan-unofficial(dot)com
what a great site!!
titomw 1 year ago
A really Good Video.
Congratulations.
And we have to watch the sense of the song!
Peace and Goodbye!!
MrPeaceman7 2 years ago
Watch billyshaw136youtube and together we'll put an end to fucking war.
Yours sincerely,
Billy Shaw
billyshaw136 2 years ago
You put a lot of effort in to make this vid ! and it works thankyou and well done .
molly1481 3 years ago 6
To the idiotic people who say this song takes soldiers for granted yada yada is missing the point of the song in its entierety, symbolic MAN, there has always been and will always be war because thats the way humans are. This song says the only way to stop war is if there were no humans to start it.
millssisback 3 years ago
great song + vid...
even if the text is a lil fast xD
gj
@ SROadmin: i guess he already did...but he doesnt care about others....
ThExNEWxOnE 3 years ago
Mr.Bush should see this!!!
SROadmin 4 years ago 11
u miss the point
hammurambi 3 years ago 3
I first heard Donovando this when I was 22 or 23....now, I am 62....The same tiny tears and choked-up throat come every time......Only more so now than ever.......
If you want even a touch of self-respect, and some sense of 'doing the good'...then Please, Make Peace any way you can manage..every minute, every day...
GOD IS (still) LOVE... all war is(always) hell...Strive On Friends...
GrammaConcept 4 years ago 4
Regt schon zum Nachdenken an ( wobei Vordenken besser wäre )
rhhincewind 4 years ago
oneundergod1 4 years ago
einfach eine geile Dia-Show !!!! korrekt
RestlessBottrop 4 years ago
beautiful post! thanks!
porkchop1verizon 4 years ago
extra 5/5 :-)
windujet 4 years ago
Soldiers aren't to blame for war. They merely follow orders, earning a living. Megolamatic Dictators, ambitious generals and greedy politicians are to blame for war.
lauraturnaa 4 years ago
Pretty cool, and soilders are too blame for war....unless they are forcefully drafted they CHOOSE to fight.
Huey0001 4 years ago
they are not to blame for war. War happens because people cannot negotiate without violence. A soldier doesn't choose who to kill. They have no choice, it is either themselves and their country that goes or the enemy. It is too bad that war exists but it happens.
TallicaChick 4 years ago
that's kind of the point of the song, it's not the soldier it's everyone. it's the soldiers who kill, the generals who instruct them to kill, the politicians instruct the generals, and we elect the politicians. no one ideology or person or country is to blame, it's all of us.
hidalgodaniel 3 years ago 12
@hidalgodaniel Finally someone who gets it.
666nokia666 1 year ago
@hidalgodaniel It is too easy to vaguely condemn humanity.
There is more to being a soldier than killing and being tough, it is a way of thinking, of operating as a part of a unit. Once a soldier starts considering the moral implications of every action he takes he no longer thinks like a soldier and the system stops working.
You do not need to be in the military to think like a soldier and those in the military can always decide to stop thinking like soldiers.
poleske 1 year ago
@hidalgodaniel No, no, no you're missing the point. It's not all of us, it's not " no one", and it's certainly not me. It's very specific people who are morally responsible. Politicians, generals and soldiers, they're all complicit of murder.
What I love about the song is that it's brave enough to actually call individual soldiers on their own responsibility. The "troops" are murderer, always were, always will be.
murbard 7 months ago
@murbard but you miss another point.....its up to us to stop that happening ;)
3tangle3 3 months ago
Nazi soldiers said they were just following orders too.
AndreFroMan 4 years ago
without soldiers, there would be no war!
hbtharle 4 years ago
If there were no war and no soldiers there would be no freedom and we wouldn't have many rights. Stop taking what the soldiers do for granted. They fight for you and all they need is support. Think about other countries and what they go through some countries aren't aloud to listen to different types of music or watch certain tv shows. All I'm trying to say is be grateful and thankful feel blessed that people died for you, for me, and the country.
TallicaChick 4 years ago
I repeat 'without soldiers, there would be no war!' If there were no potential for fighting, there would be freedom for all. If the politicians could get no one to fight for them, how could there be loss of freedom? Now I know that can never happen but it is the reality of the human condition, nonetheless. We can blame no one but ourselves for the state of the world.
hbtharle 4 years ago
And if there was no one to fight, why shall I be protected by someone? I don't want anyone to fight for me, I never even asked anybody to do so and if every soldier gave up his weapon, then there would be no fight anymore, and as long as there are soldiers, they are to be blamed for being soldiers because they don't see, that killing is not the right way and never will be.
DocAxt 4 years ago
Do you not understand that NO SOLDIER WANTS TO KILL?! Do you not understand that NOBODY WANTS TO GO TO WAR? Soldiers are ordinary people too. Nobody wants to go to war and kill somebody. Of course killing is not the right way, but if people cannot work things out than war is our only choice. If another country decides to start war than wouldn't you fight for your own country and try to protect yourself?
TallicaChick 4 years ago 3
And then there is the interpretaion of what a war is, an occupation, military operations, mass murder, terrorism, surgical strikes, and oppression. Are all these things war? or reasons to start one? Btw im writing this in an army barrack..
plainlake 3 years ago
danke fuer das Video...
..He's the universial soldier, and he really is to blame... as orders come from far away no war...
.they come from here and there, and brothers - CAN'T YOU SEE?
THIS IS NOT THE WAY WE PUT THE END TO WAR...
peace to all you out there who are reading this.
//greetings from Germany.... PsychicGerman
PsychicGerman 4 years ago
great song
great vid
Shankshobbe 4 years ago
lol very funny :) 5
runnorway 4 years ago
Super))Nice and realistic emotion) Lol, really very good)
RicoSAS 4 years ago