Lyric

Move the pawns to the eastern line

Keep the rook behind the wall

Hide the king, protect the king

Send the birds into the sky

Move the pawns to the eastern line

Keep the rook behind the wall

God forgive me

Listen to me

Another map

Another night

Another hundred names in white

Red for lost

Blue for alive

Green means maybe they'll survive

I move my finger across the screen

Tell them where they're supposed to be

Twenty here

And fifty there

Don't say their names

Just move the squares

Is this a war?

Is this a game?

When did a number lose its name?

A pawn?

A rook?

A sacrifice?

Tell me what the hell gives me the right?

Bring them home

God, let me bring them home

I sent them out into the fire

Now I'm counting who comes back

Bring them home

Every daughter, every son

Don't tell me what we fucking gained

Tell me how many we have lost

They're not pieces on a board

They're not numbers on a screen

I gave the order

They paid the price

God, bring them home to me

Move that pawn

He'll draw their fire

Put the rook between the lines

Keep the king behind the walls

The king must live at any cost

Send the birds

Watch the screen

There's movement underneath the trees

Permission granted

Take the shot

And the target's gone

That's what we call it

The target's gone

But somebody knew his name

Somebody waits for him tonight

Maybe someone holds a phone

And wonders why he doesn't write

Enemy

Friendly

Dead

Alive

Four little words

For someone's whole fucking life

Bring them home

God, let me bring them home

I sent them out into the fire

Now I'm counting who comes back

Bring them home

Every daughter, every son

Don't give me another victory

If this is what it costs to win

They're not pieces on a board

They're not numbers on a screen

I gave the order

They paid the price

God, bring them home to me

I was twenty once

I still remember

Mud on my boots

Blood on my hands

Waiting for a voice on the radio

To tell me where to stand

I hated that voice

Move forward

Hold the line

Do not retreat

I swore if I ever made it home

I'd never become that man

Now they wait for my voice

Colonel, we're waiting for your order

How many are we sending out tonight?

Twenty-three

And what are the chances they come back?

Nobody knows

Colonel, we're waiting for your order

God help me

Proceed

What have I done?

What have I done?

Was that a man

Or was that a pawn?

Was that a life

Or just something we lost?

Move the rook

Save the king

Sacrifice everything

That's how you win

Is that how you win?

Then tell me

What the fuck did we win?

Bring them home

God, let me bring them home

Let me hear their boots outside

Let me hear them curse my name

Let them hate me

Let them blame me

Let them never understand

Just let every mother waiting

Hold her child again

Bring them home

I don't need another medal

I don't need another flag

I don't need another general

Telling me we did our best

Because I know their names

I know their names

I know their faces

I know who didn't come back

Don't call them pawns

Don't call them losses

Don't call them numbers anymore

They were people

They were people

They were fucking people

Take the pieces from the board

Put the king back in his box

The game is over now

But my soldiers don't come back

Bring them home

Please, bring them home