10th Man Down

Nightwish's '10th Man Down' delves deep into the harrowing experiences of a soldier caught in the throes of war. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the internal and external battles faced by those on the front lines. The opening lines, 'Today I killed, he was just a boy / Eight before him, I knew them all,' immediately set a somber tone, highlighting the tragic loss of innocence and the heavy toll of taking lives. The soldier's actions are driven by a desperate need for survival, encapsulated in the line, 'I'd kill them all to save my own.' This stark reality underscores the brutal nature of war, where moral boundaries are often blurred in the fight for life.

The recurring plea, 'Cut me free, bleed with me, oh no / One by one, we will fall, down down,' reflects the soldier's desire to escape the relentless cycle of violence and death. The repetition of these lines emphasizes the inescapable nature of their predicament, as well as the shared suffering among comrades. The soldier's internal conflict is further highlighted in the lines, 'Deliver me from this war / It's not for me it's because of you,' suggesting a sense of betrayal and disillusionment with those who orchestrate the conflict from afar.

The song also touches on the psychological scars left by war. The soldier envies the '9 lives that gave me hell,' indicating a deep-seated guilt and trauma from surviving while others perished. The haunting imagery of 'Man to man, soldier to soldier, dust to dust' evokes the futility and cyclical nature of war. The final lines, '10th patriot at the gallow's pole!' suggest a sense of inevitable doom and the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers. Nightwish masterfully combines powerful lyrics with their signature symphonic metal sound to create a poignant and thought-provoking commentary on the human cost of war.