To Be A Soldier

[Intro]
[low strings swell, distant radio chatter fx]
Boots on stone, same old orders
Cold eyes, warm gun, British borders
Graves in rows, names get shorter
To be a soldier, you walk through slaughter
[Verse 1]
Camo on skin, not just jacket
Rifle weight dragin’ on my habits
Kosovo hills, kids starin’ silent
Prayers in the air, sky stay violent
Sand in my teeth, grit on the palate
Dust in my lungs, iron on the mallet
Convoy crawl down cracked up roads
Fear in my throat, laugh in my nose
Photos in the pouch, bent round bullets
Home in the pocket while my heart stay ruthless
Orders in my ear, calm and clipped
“Clear that block, keep your finger on the—”
Click, bang, brain start leakin’
Blood on the boots, but we keep on sweepin’
Write one letter, fold that sorrow
Seal that coffin with “see you tomorrow”
[Chorus]
To be a soldier
You carry ghosts on your shoulder (on your shoulder)
March through the fire, get colder
Can’t wash off what they told ya
To be a soldier
You bite down fear when it smolders
Say “yes sir” till the war’s over
(But the war don’t end when you’re older)
[Verse 2]
Iraq heatwave, metal like lava
Stare down scope at another poor father
See that ring on his hand, same story
He just tryna live, I’m fightin’ for glory
Afghan peaks, thin air in my chest
Static in my head, never get rest
Night vision glow turn men to shadows
Green skull faces fall in the shallows
Friends on stretchers, red-stained canvas
Med-evac bird cut clouds like anguish
Laugh in the tent, cards on the crate
Black humour keepin’ that panic straight
“Brew on, mate?” “Yeah, brew on, brother”
Sip cheap tea, try forget what we covered
Hear that boom, tent wall shiver
We run half-laced, hands still quiver
[Chorus]
To be a soldier
You carry ghosts on your shoulder (on your shoulder)
March through the fire, get colder
Can’t wash off what they told ya
To be a soldier
You bite down fear when it smolders
Say “yes sir” till the war’s over
(But the war don’t end when you’re older)
[Bridge]
Medals in a drawer, nightmares on replay
Hear that crack, hit the floor on a weekday
High street crowd feel like a warzone
Heart rate spike at a slammed car door, bro
Public say “thanks,” but they don’t see
Every blank stare is an IED
Mirror in the hall showin’ someone tougher
But the eyes don’t lie, I’m still there, brother
[Chorus]
To be a soldier
You carry ghosts on your shoulder (on your shoulder)
March through the fire, get colder
Can’t wash off what they told ya
To be a soldier
You bite down fear when it smolders
Say “yes sir” till the war’s over
(But the war don’t end when you’re older)

rap, Aggressive orchestral UK rap over cinematic strings, dark piano, and heavily distorted drums; fast, breathless verses with tight internal rhyme, male vocals snarling in the low-mid range. Hooks explode with stacked shouts and war-chant responses, strings rising like sirens; brief half-time switches for impact, then slamming back to full tempo. Gritty, close-up vocal mix with reverb on ad-libs to feel like a squad behind the lead., male vocals, hardcore hip hop, remix, hip hop, orchestral