No One Wins in a War

[Verse 1]
Empty boots on the front porch
Dust on a folded flag
Name carved small in a stone row
Nothing brings you back
Photos framed in the hallway
Laughs that I half-remember
Letters in a rusted tin
Postmarked last September
[Chorus]
No one wins in a war
Just more names on a door
We keep counting what we lost
Till we can't count anymore
You can draw another line
You can swear what it's for
But when the guns go quiet
No one wins in a war
[Verse 2]
You came home to a silence
Kitchen light humming low
Medals in a cardboard box
Nowhere left to go
You said
"They called it an honor"
Then you stared at the floor
"Tell me how to feel proud
When I don't know what for"
[Chorus]
No one wins in a war
Just more chairs on the floor
We keep counting what we lost
Till we can't count anymore
You can draw another line
You can swear what it's for
But when the flags stop waving
No one wins in a war
[Bridge]
All these maps on the table
Red ink
Shaking hands
But every line that we argue
Cuts through someone's land
[Chorus]
No one wins in a war
Just more prayers
Whispered sore
We keep counting what we lost
Till we can't count anymore
You can raise another cry
You can swear what it's for
But when we're done with hurting
No one wins in a war

Sparse, intimate ballad with male vocals, close-mic upright piano leading. Banjo and mandolin enter in soft arpeggios after the first chorus, trading gentle counter-melodies. Verses stay hushed, almost whispered; chorus opens slightly with warmer chords and subtle vocal doubles. Final chorus drops to near a cappella with just light piano chords, ending on a lingering unresolved note.