Afraid to Shoot Strangers

How good is Afraid to Shoot Strangers on a scale of 1-10?


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Anonymous

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Today I read both commentaries for this song (one for the song and one for the enhanced video on The Angel and the Gambler single). They differ from my sense of the song in ways I find thought-provoking, and accordingly I decided to say a few words about the thoughts they provoked.

The song commentary is quite short -- a brief description of the music accompanied by this quote from Bruce: "(This song) was written about the people that fought in the Gulf War. It's a song about how shitty war is, and how shitty war is that it's started by politicians and has to be finished by ordinary people that don't really want to kill anybody." Note that the song was written not by Bruce, but by Steve. I'll come back to that momentarily.

Meanwhile, the commentary on the video includes this bit: "The video itself looks a little bit like pro-war propaganda, condoning the useless bloodshed and misery that was the First Gulf War. It most probably wasn't the intention of Iron Maiden to pose as supporters of such a ridiculous conflict, whose aim was merely to protect the oil fields of Kuwait, but the images do not seem to correspond the original depth of the lyrics."

Okay. Here's my story. I bought Fear of the Dark the day it came out in 1992. It was my second year in college. I had already been bitterly disappointed by the Whitesnake-ish-ness of the No Prayer album, so this album was either going to restore my faith in Iron Maiden or drive me away for good. Unfortunately it did the latter (well, for almost 10 years, anyway). Afraid to Shoot Strangers was a big part of this.

The Gulf War was "over," although obviously the U.S. military presence in the Gulf, periodic bombings, and the brutal sanctions regime were not. Like many Americans (and obviously others), I was still pissed about the war, and especially about the shallow jingoism of many of my fellow Americans who supported it. In my first year at college (90-91) we had these big sheets of paper on the walls of our dormitory where people could write (anonymously) their thoughts about the war while it was going on. Every day I would see that someone had written "kill the towelheads" or "sand niggers" -- i.e., people who supported the war out of ignorant, racist, nationalistic, oversimplified machismo more than anything else. People sported shirts saying "these colors don't run" and whatnot, suggesting that anyone who disagreed with (the first) President Bush's war was un-American (or worse).

This is the context in which I heard "Afraid to Shoot Strangers." It seems obvious, given the timing, that the song was written as Steve's direct response to the Gulf War and the debate over it. And it seemed obvious at the time that he was arguing in favor of the war:
[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]God let us go now and finish what's to be done
Thy Kingdom come, thy shall be done... on Earth

Trying to justify to ourselves the reasons to go
Should we live and let live, forget or forgive?

But how can we let them go on this way?
The reign of terror corruption must end
And we know deep down there's no other way
No trust, no reasoning, no more to say [/quote]
From the point of view of someone opposed to the war, this is patronizing. Opposition to the war did not then (nor does it now) equate to "live and let live, forget and forgive." But then it gets worse; the song ends of course with the refrain of the title, "afraid to shoot strangers." To me the only sense this makes is as a characterization of opponents of the war -- such people are afraid to do what even God knows is "to be done." They are cowards. Listening to this song in 1992, I was livid -- Steve and the boys were joining the chorus of ugly Americans around me who insisted that going to war was a simple matter of having the balls to "kill the towelheads." At least with the song the racist overtones weren't there, although the "strangers" bit always made me uncomfortable. Why use the word "strangers"? Should the fact that they are "strange" to us make them easier to shoot?

So fast forward to the present. Having sold my Fear of the Dark CD a few weeks after I bought it, I have never been able to bring myself to re-purchase it. I still can't stand that song, and I still read/hear it as a defense of the Gulf War -- as an argument that the soldier's ordeal is worth it for the greater cause -- and as an indictment of those who protested the war. (I do see that the song does express some sympathy with the soldier, and this at least is to its credit.)

Reading the commentaries today, I find that my understanding of the song is not necessarily the consensus view. I think Bruce's quote in the song commentary is intriguing... it sounds more along the lines of how I would like to be able to interpret the song. I suspect that Bruce and Steve do not necessarily see eye-to-eye politically, and that the quote is Bruce's way of rationalizing the song, of making it palatable for him as a singer to make the requisite emotional investment in it. (I'd be curious to hear how he interprets Age of Innocence.) I don't think Bruce speaks for Steve, or what was in Steve's heart at the time the song was written; the lyrics themselves speak too clearly otherwise.

I'm also intrigued by the comments on the video, which I haven't myself seen. According to the account, the video images echo pro-war propaganda, which would be consistent with my first reaction to the song, but not Bruce's remarks on it. Whose viewpoint is expressed in the video, then? I suspect it's Steve's.

The most interesting thing in all this, to me, is how each person adapts a text to suit his or her own worldview. The writer of the commentaries has obviously internalized the message of ATSS as an anti-war message, or at least a "war is hell" message, which obviously suits his temperament (judging by his comments on the Gulf War itself). He even goes so far as to assume that the pro-war message was "probably not the intention of Iron Maiden," which I think is mistaken but which I understand as a natural reflex. And Bruce too appears to have re-imagined the song in a way that makes more sense to him. I was never able to do this for ATSS, but I have done it for other Iron Maiden songs, and other musical and nonmusical works.

Anyway, thanks for your attention. I'd be curious to know if anyone else has understood this song the same way as me, or if I'm really as peculiar as it sometimes appears.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

I never thought of this song as pro- or anti-war. I always thought it was Steve's attempt to describe the feelings of a soldier. No one wants to die, and I seriously doubt that many soldiers actually want to kill another human being in combat. But it is still the viewpoint of most soldiers that war, and the killing that unfortunately goes with it, is sometimes necessary for the greater good. Therefore you get the apparent conflict between peace and war in the lyrics.

I also feel it necessary to say that I have never served in the military, so if I have presumed wrongly about how soldiers think, just let me know. I've spoken to many veterans - including Gulf War vets - so I think I understand their point of view, but I could be wrong.

Also, remember that this isn't the first song where Steve let the lyrics take the point of view of a soldier. A couple songs called Run To The Hills and The Trooper come to mind...
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

You raise an interesting point. Is it Pro or Against war? Personlly I do not like the involvement of God's will in matters of War. However, if you take it as an anti-war song God's will is peace. But aside from that and on to Steve's and Bruce's points of view. Most maiden war/conclict songs (Run to the Hills, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Pachendale etc) Seem to show the futility, ridiculousness and horrors of war. In that vein of thought I doubt Afraid to Shoot Strangers is a Pro-war song. As for how soldiers think...It is human to be afraid to kill and be killed, but that is why they are trained and put through boot camp and other training facilities. To be honest most soldiers are brainwashed to be able to handle the horrors of war. In the case of the U.S they have many soldiers joining the Arm Forces because they pay for their college. They don't join to defend their nation, so war and killing is the furthest thing from their mind. Those who willingly join hoping to have the chance to defend their country have no problem with war and killing (the Marines come to mind lol). And as far as Veterans go their are two types. 1. Those who go to war and realize how horrible it is and become strong advocates against it and 2. those who come back believing that war is the only way to settle conflicts.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

A short explanation seems needed here: the song commentary is a remnant of Baeleron's commentary (that I need to re-work), whereas the video commentary was written by yours truly. As you may have noticed, my commentaries tend to be a bit longer than Baeleron's... [!--emo&^_^--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/happy.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'happy.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

Another thing: I have served in the forces and I completely understand the point of view of the soldiers. I am in the category of those who have done time in the army and are now completely anti-war. Like many other war songs, 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' sees the conflict through a soldier's eyes, but the lyrics seem to condone this war (the First Gulf War) and I simply cannot agree with them. I was very disappointed in Harris when I first got the album back in '92 and if it hadn't been for the X Factor, I would probably have given up on Maiden... [!--emo&:huh:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/huh.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'huh.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

First of all, congrats to xgodt. Now THAT'S LooseCannon long.

Carrying on.

Afraid to Shoot Strangers never clicked with me lyrically. I haven't served in the forces, and hopefully I never will. But my father's been in several war zones: Cyprus, Bosnia, Persian Gulf 1991, and Persian Gulf 2001-02. These lyrics don't tell me what he's told me.

Ahem.

Having said that, I believe (to an extent) in the Fourteen Points upon which the League of Nations were created. When created from the ashes of that failed organization, the United Nations attempted to take those same points and make them into a viable goal.

[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strict observance of the principle that in determining all such questions of sovereignty the interests of the populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable claims of the government whose title is to be determined.[/quote]

Although the term colony is now outdated, this tells us that national sovereignty determines the borders of a nation. I supported Gulf War I personally, because as much as it was political, no nation has the right to invade the other. Yes, the USA did go after Saddam because he puked in their oil supply. However, he violated Kuwait's sovereignty, and the world organization reacted.

It is legal to fight war to defend another country.

This, of course, makes Gulf War II illegal and stupid.

From this (admittedly idealistic) point of view, the tone of lyrics in Afraid to Shoot Strangers becomes somewhat more...proper.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Oh, sorry, for those who aren't familiar with history, the Fourteen Points were set forth in a speech by American President Woodrow Wilson during the First World War. They were the basis of the League of Nations. Of course, American spurned the League and let ratifying the Treaty of Versaillies die out in the Senate.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Just a question: Wasn't Kuwait an Iraqi province before the British decided that the oil field needed stronger "Western protection"? If it's the case, it could be seen a bit like the Alsace/Lorraine territory which was cause of many disputes between the French and the Germans in the past...
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Yes, in 1923 the Brits split Iraq and Kuwait. Likely at the insistance of US oil companies.

However, that was almost 80 years before the Gulf War. It is likely that by this time people from Kuwait had come to identify themselves as a nation. Thus impugning on sovereignty.

Of course, Mav, the comparison can be made. But in the case of Alsace-Lorraine, national character as something French or something German was implied by both sides, and the people within supported that. I don't remember anything like that. Of course, I was 5 at the time.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Who says violence never solves anything? It solved WWII. When was the last time you were attacked by a Nazi?

Seriously though, this is one of my favourite Maiden songs, so I obligated to reply.

At the opening of the First World War, a wave of Nationalism swept across the West. Men were glad to march off and fight for king (or kaiser, tsar) and country. War was a glorious way in which to become a ‘real man’.
At the opening of the Second War, however, sentiments had shifted from glorification of war to seeing it as a necessary evil. Hitler had to be stopped, and diplomacy had failed. The Allied powers knew “deep down there’s no other way” to stop the madman.

Likewise in the Gulf War. There was “no trust. no reasoning, no more to say”. The soldier in the song is scared shitless, but is going to suck it up and do his duty.

Of particular interest to me is the line “when it comes to the time are we partners in crime?” I interpret this as a British soldier wondering if this is really his fight. Should America’s satellite states (the NATO countries) be fighting wars that are primarily of American interest? On the other hand, should America be cleaning up Britain’s post-Imperial messes? The collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the close of WWI caused a power vacuum in the Middle East, which Britain and France were glad to fill. Under a League of Nations mandate, Britain drew an arbitrary border and created the country of Iraq (notice I don’t say nation). Kurds, Sunni, and Shi’ites were supposed to get along…..no wonder a madman like Saddam was able to rise to power.

I’m rambling, so I think I’ll sum up:
Afraid to Shoot Strangers tells us what we already know deep down: War sucks, but we must do our duty when necessary.

The post-lyrical part conjures up images of Patriot missiles defending Tel-Aviv, for some reason. Can anyone comment on why? (I’m not the only one to have had this experience.)


Cheers,
Iron Duke
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

I often chat with the army recruits at college and most tell me the same thing, If they agree or disagree with the president, if they agree or disagree with the causes for war, that is of no importance as their job is to fight and if they are called to it they must do it. Again it comes down to the politicians. I also think that the current affairs in the Middle East and Africa are a direct result of the Sociological ignorance of impirialist nations when carving out countries on a map. If two groups of people (Kurds and Shiaits or Tutus and Hutis) don't get along don't put them in the same nation. In Mexico there is a great contrast between the state of Baja California and Oaxaca. BC has only 4 districts while Oaxaca has 520 because of it's indigenous diversity, every tribe (culture would be more accurate) is in a different district. Of course problems still exist but that helps...somwhat.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Hey, thanks folks. I appreciate the response.
[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]First of all, congrats to xgodt. Now THAT'S LooseCannon long.[/quote]
That had occurred to me when I was finishing it up. [!--emo&:D--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Like many other war songs, 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' sees the conflict through a soldier's eyes, but the lyrics seem to condone this war (the First Gulf War) and I simply cannot agree with them. I was very disappointed in Harris when I first got the album back in '92 and if it hadn't been for the X Factor, I would probably have given up on Maiden...[/quote]
That was exactly my feeling too. Unfortunately, I never did hear X Factor until I bought it a few months ago...

I'm not certain I agree with the consensus view that this song is entirely from the soldier's perspective. The opening lines are, clearly, but after that I don't see it. Take these lines:
[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Trying to justify to ourselves the reasons to go
Should we live and let live, forget or forgive? [/quote]
This first person plural stuff doesn't sound to me like what a soldier going into battle would be thinking. He's going, with or without justified reasons. Given what he's facing, there's no sense in which "live and let live, forget or forgive" makes any sense. Instead, I think Steve's voice here has taken over the song; he is the one trying to justify "our" reasons to go -- not as soldiers, but as nations.

And actually, now that I look at it again, there's no reason necessarily to see any part of the song as being a soldier's perspective. Even the first verse can be read from the point-of-view of a civilian back home weighing the pros and cons of the war. But even if we assume that the song is at least partly from the soldier's perspective, it wouldn't be the only Maiden song to cut back and forth between a soldier's voice and a narrator's voice (cf. Paschendale).

Meanwhile, the title/refrain continues to bother me. Who, according to the song, is afraid to shoot strangers? I have never been a soldier, but I would imagine a soldier is generally more afraid not to shoot strangers, and/or afraid of being shot by strangers. To my mind, not wanting to shoot strangers is a matter of moral repugnance at killing (which I take to be a good thing), not a matter of weakness or fear.

To me, this refrain still sounds like the old-fashioned indictment of war opponents and/or conscientious objectors as being cowardly. Especially coming as it does, not after the soldier's rumination about being scared of the "burial mound," but after the questions about justifying the war which culminate in the certainty that the war is right.

[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Of particular interest to me is the line “when it comes to the time are we partners in crime?” I interpret this as a British soldier wondering if this is really his fight. Should America’s satellite states (the NATO countries) be fighting wars that are primarily of American interest? On the other hand, should America be cleaning up Britain’s post-Imperial messes? [/quote]
This is an intriguing proposition that had never occurred to me. Do you take "partners in crime" then just as a colloquialism for "partners," without placing emphasis on "crime"? After all, if it's an issue of the war being a just response to a madman's aggression when there's no other option, then what would be the crime? My understanding of that line, conversely, has always been that he's asking if we would, by NOT going to war, become partners in the original crime -- i.e., the madman's aggression. Which again leads me to my conclusion that the song is as much a denunciation of war protests as it is an argument in favor of the war.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

That's the beauty of well-written lyrics.....they can be interpreted in numerous ways [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

just read this thread ....

my thought

its Steve's way of describing a soldier on the desert more than likely thinking to himself why ami I here then questioning the reasons as to why, "Partners in crime" well who put the boy (e.x leader of Iraq) in power once apon a time um the U.S.

any way back to the song the soldier is still questioning himself but he is still "ready to die"

Afraid to shoot strangers - this line has always got me this could either mean that he is scared or becausethey are a different race alien to the western world. But isnt it easier to kill someone you know than a stranger ???

anyway thats my pathetic attempt
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Not pathetic at all. You do touch on two points i want to tackle. The first being the fact that they are a different "race". I want to say this once: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RACE. Ethnicity and cultures YES, "race" NO. We are all one race the HUMAN race. Second, the fact that it's easier to kill someone you know than a stranger. "Normal" people in "normal" circumstances don't even think of murder. Murder usually ocurrs between husbands and wives, siblings in short, the family and close friends. The reason is not that they know them, but these are the people that are more likely to annoy you, piss you off, cheat on you etc. Provoking jeolosy, anger and hatred. Murder USUALLY occurs when our reasoning is clouded by emotions. That is why soldiers are KILLING MACHINES. They overrun their emotions and do it in cold blood. They are trained for that.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

I know this will probably cause a ruckus, but:
There IS such a thing as race.

There are genuine, but very minor, physical differences between groups of humans. For example, the Eskimos have shorter legs and arms than other people because it decreases their exposure to cold temperatures. This difference (and similar racial characteristics) are based on biological factors, not culture.

However, I agree race shouldn't matter. We should be treating each other with the same level of dignity and respect regardless of race. But that doesn't mean that the differences don't exist.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Wow! Wow! Wow! I have to stop you there, my friend SinisterMinisterX!

There is such a thing as races, but NOT WITHIN THE HUMAN SPECIES!

As a biologist, I'd like to stress that human races do not exists. There are some minor variants at the most but certainly not races.

Saying that Eskimos have shorter legs and arms than other humans is one thing, making it a race difference is another. Blacks are more prone to having sickle cell disease, but that still doesn't make them a different race (this is just an example off the top of my head).

A race can be loosely defined as having the the main genome of a species, plus or minus a few genes. In the human species, the difference is in the expression of the genes, not in their presence or absence, hence the lack of races in our particular animal species.

If you want to be picky, every individual is immunogically unique -- even homozygotous twins! -- but that still doesn't define races. Stating that races exist in the human species is not only false, but it may lead to dangerous thinking on the part of some whose mental abilities aren't quite optimal.

I'd like to close the topic on these considerations...
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

Now you can read other visitors' comments on 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' as well as post your own. Any contribution to the commentary will be much appreciated, may it be cultural references relevant to the song (links to related websites, interpretations that may have been overlooked in the Commentary, and the like) or personal essays related to the topic of the song. Just be aware that messages that are either off-topic or too wacky may be deleted.
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

The following review is my own opinion and my own interpetation. I'm not saying this is the sole truth, I'm saying that this is how I see the song.

I have always regarded this song as one of the best on "Fear Of The Dark". For a long time, I never listened to the lyrics and just payed attention to the music. Only after I heard Bruce's commentary on the "A Real Live/Dead One" album did I read through the lyrics and cared for what the song was about; that was about time, because war is one of the subjects I am most deeply concerned with. Anti-war lyrics are my favourites next to ones about loneliness.

Musically, the song is brilliant. It is partly soft ballad, partly great heavy metal with superb guitar solos. In fact, I would go as far as saying that the guitar work is some of the best Maiden have ever done.
The quiet, slow vocals reveal that Bruce's voice was definately far from being at their peak; as with many other songs from the album, they sound tired and strained. But in this song, it even adds to the mood of the song, and fits perfectly.

Now, onto the lyrics.
The song is about a soldier in the Gulf War. As a matter of fact, it could be any war, but the historical context and the mentioning of "desert sand mound" in the words imply that it is the Gulf War.
The words are from the thoughts of a soldier. The soldier lies awake and questions his mission. Is what he does correct? He prays to God but he knows that this will not help him. He knows he must go out to kill, and he tries to convince himself. He is a soldier, after all, and he vowed to serve his country, to die and kill for it. He tries to tell himself that he must not question his orders, because he is only there to follow them. He tells himself what has been told to him, that he is fighting for the right, good thing. In truth, he puts on a mask, he hides behind hollow phrases, those phrases his commanders and leaders repeat endlessly. He tries to comfort himself, he tries to believe these phrases so he can sleep well.
But he cannot convince himself. He lies to himself. The doubts follow him wherever he goes: He is afraid to shoot strangers- he does not want to shoot them. Why should he? He doesn't even know them, so why kill them? He tells himself that "deep down there's no other way", but in fact, deep down he's afraid. And he cannot convince himself to believe the lies.

The song is not only about war, but also about militarism and jingoism, and what they do to people. How false causes and propaganda can tear a man apart. How the people get sucked into a machinery that despises mankind but only reveals its true nature when you're trapped in it with no way out.
And about how sometimes, its brainwashing fails.

About the video, if you turned off the sound and just watched the footage, you could think you're watching CNN, Fox News, N24 or any other propaganda channel. But with the melancholic tunes, especially with Blaze's deep, sad voice, there is no way this video could ever glorify war.

In conclusion, "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" is one of the best and most poignant anti-war songs ever made.

Rating: 5
 
'afraid To Shoot Strangers'

[!--QuoteBegin-Perun+May 22 2004, 10:42 AM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Perun @ May 22 2004, 10:42 AM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]About the video, if you turned off the sound and just watched the footage, you could think you're watching CNN, Fox News, N24 or any other propaganda channel. But with the melancholic tunes, especially with Blaze's deep, sad voice, there is no way this video could ever glorify war.

[snapback]67180[/snapback]​
[/quote]

I agree with Perun too.

Images only can’t mean anything : it’s the comentaries, the way they are edited that give them a sense. If you watch the last Michael Moore documentary without the sound, it’s also just images of CNN, Fox and co.

If you compare this video with the ‘Aces High’ video, and if you have to choose wich one is pro-war, for me there’s no doubt !
In the ‘Aces High’ video, you’re like in a video game ! The music is very speed : you have to destroy all the enemies as fast as you can (you only have 4’31’’ [!--emo&:p--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'tongue.gif\' /][!--endemo--] ) !
The same images with another music could change the meaning of them.

About the music :

I don’t really like this song, and I think it’s because of the production wich is too clean, and the intro with the soporific drum part. Note that I’ve nothing against slow intros in Maiden, but I prefer ‘Fortunes of war’, ‘Edge of Darckness’ or ‘Dance of death’ than this one where nothing happened.
I don’t like how Bruce sings the slow chorus : “Afraid to shoot strangers”, with over-produced backing vocals. I prefer the Blaze version, and I think he saves the song.
Howerver, there’re some good points : the melody, and the amazing solos !

But I give 2,5/5 to this song, because it’s the album version that we have to rank here.
 
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