[Intro – Low spoken over distant helicopter blades and fading guitar feedback]
Boots on the ground… still feel the sand.
Ten years later… still hear the blast.
This ain’t war no more… this is the aftermath.
[Verse 1 – Rap]
Wake up swingin’, fist through the wall again
Heart poundin’ like mortars droppin’ at 3 AM
Sweat drippin’ cold, wife screamin’ my name
I’m back in Fallujah, not in this suburban cage
Every car backfire a rifle crack
Every shadow in the corner got a face I can’t forget
Kids laughin’ in the park, I scan for threats
Body’s home but my soul still stuck in that desert
Medals in a drawer, rustin’ with the pain
Pills on the nightstand, tryin’ to numb the flame
They say “Thank you for your service,” then change the subject quick
They don’t want the real version, just the highlight reel shit
[Chorus – Sung, raw rock vocals]
I’m fightin’ a war that nobody else can see
Ghosts in my head, they won’t let me be
Every night I’m dyin’, every day I’m drownin’
PTSD got me screamin’ without makin’ a sound
War never ended, it just moved inside
Battlefield in my mind, no place to hide
I’m a veteran of silence, carryin’ the dead
Tryin’ to find peace… but peace left my head
[Verse 2 – Rap, faster flow]
Hypervigilant, trust issues deeper than the foxhole
Friends call, I let it ring, I’m better off alone
Fourth of July fireworks? Nah, that’s incoming rounds
I’m under the table while the sky lights up the town
Guilt eats me alive for the brothers I lost
Why them, why not me? I still carry that cross
Therapy sessions feel like interrogations
Talkin’ ‘bout feelings while my chest caves in
I punch the heavy bag till my knuckles bleed
Tryin’ to fight the invisible enemy in me
Some nights I miss the chaos, at least it made sense
Out here in the quiet, the demons got no defense
[Chorus – Sung, heavier this time]
I’m fightin’ a war that nobody else can see
Ghosts in my head, they won’t let me be
Every night I’m dyin’, every day I’m drownin’
PTSD got me screamin’ without makin’ a sound
War never ended, it just moved inside
Battlefield in my mind, no place to hide
I’m a veteran of silence, carryin’ the dead
Tryin’ to find peace… but peace left my head
[Bridge – Half-sung, building intensity, guitars swell]
I see their faces when I close my eyes…
Hear their voices in the empty skies…
Told me I was brave, sent me off to die
Now I’m home and broken, askin’ God just “Why?”
But I’m still here… still fightin’
Still breathin’… still writin’
This pain ain’t for nothin’, I swear I’ll turn it to light
For every vet still drownin’ in the same endless night
[Final Chorus – Full scream-sing, heavy breakdown]
I’m fightin’ a war that the world don’t wanna see!
But I’m still standin’, yeah, you’re lookin’ at me!
Every scar’s a story, every tear’s a fight
I may never win… but I ain’t goin’ down tonight!
War never ended… but neither did I
I got demons in my head… but I got fire in my eyes
Veteran of silence, no longer ashamed
This is my battle… and I’m screamin’ my name!
[Outro –
Duncanstein