Little Tin Soldiers

They plant flags in the ashes, build towers from bone

Sing hymns to the empire, all chrome and cologne

They dress up the numbers, let the bankers decide

While the fields go to seed and the rivers run dry

There’s a screen in your pocket, a leash on your head

They sell you the story, then bill you for dread

And every new war gets a brand and a spin

The truth’s just a costume they toss in the bin

Little tin soldiers, hollow inside

Grinning through fire with nothing to hide

Bending like shadows, too tired to stand

Trading conviction for sleight of hand

We don’t feel the weight, we don’t hear the call—

We just learn to nod so we don’t have to fall

Now the air tastes like metal, the soil’s gone sour

They auction the moon off by quarter-hour

The shepherds are sleeping, the fences are cracked

But the wolves wear badges, and no one fights back

They poison the well with a smile and a tax

Call it freedom of choice while they tighten the tracks

And the children all learn how to kneel, not to ask

’Cause dissent is a sin in a world built on masks

Little tin soldiers, hollow inside

Grinning through fire with nothing to hide

Bending like shadows, too tired to stand

Trading conviction for sleight of hand

We don’t feel the weight, we don’t hear the call—

We just learn to nod so we don’t have to fall

And the smoke stacks preach louder than prophets these days

Their gospel is profit, their temple’s ablaze

But we bow just the same to the altar of screens

Trading blood for convenience, and dreams for routines

So light up the fuse, let the circus begin

Build a wall ’round your heart, call it discipline

The fire is coming, but no one looks up

We’re too busy pouring more gold in our cup

Little tin soldiers, so eager to burn—

When will we learn?

When will we learn