The Herd, Berzerkatron, Urthboy - Apocalypta lyrics

The command came, hold your fire
And if I ever meet that man I’ll ask
Him, why we were put on standby
While the scenario got dire?
Peace-keeper with no teeth
Can inforce no peace and just
Becomes an eyewitness to grief
Number of times I wished to leave

Couldn't believe that we were here for
Nothing more than the lip service
Nothing more than the empire servants
Trigger finger oh so nervous

Number of times I almost let the bullets go
The footage shows
The day approached to the checkpoint
With hands raised the civilian closed
Vincedin shooter he went home
Awaiting an inquest who's to know
If the punishment could be worse


In his own thoughts when he's all alone
And I wish he could've been here
When we really needed a shooter
We stood by and watched as the
Town we protected was pillaged
Raped and looted

We were hamstrung, the commands come from HQ
And blood on their hands is the
Last thing they wanna report
To the politicians that they answer to
So what am I supposed to do?
Why am I here, dyin' of fear?

That the faces staring up at
Me will continue to appear
And the dreams that wake me
Up in fit's and sweats
And all the counsellor has said
Won’t let me forget about Shreve
Rent it say yet

Overnight trucks in convoy
Butte red cross on the side and the back
Escorted by two gene officers on the
Off chance they’d be attacked
On a private contract, roads are a gauntlet
Trouble none yet reported

Guards get little commission as we ride
The soldier and reach the border
Now he’s got medical supplies
For a refugee camp, humanitarian mission
Held up a week at customs
Took over a month to ship from Switzerland

He knows nobody would be listening
And as the burials start increasing
So he keeps the frustration under rapped
As seen that it’s self-defeating
And though he joined up to make a difference
Good intentions can turn out vicious
As they helplessly provide aid
For cancer disbanded militias
They got caches of illegal arms
Hidden away in the country-side
Former colonial rules ensure they get
Yet more clandestine supply

Seening won’t as broken down
To their former selves
Till their not so afraid of death
‘cause they’ve already seen hell

The danger pay is good but every
Cent that he gets is earnt
And he’s alive, but burnin out
Driving through the scorched dirt

Then all in all, it’s worth it even if it’s
For the little victories
Standing by as a witness to
The dark rumblings of history -

We left home as heroes
With photo ops and press releases
A handshake from the minister
And a speech of freedom shining
Peters of democracy
The monitors of freedom’s fair elections
Midwifes to assist the birth of
A distant fledgling nation

As we taxied out of Williamstown
You could smell the nerves in the Hercules
Excitement and uncertainty
Prestigious posting overseas

We deployed through the provinces
Out project voter education
To dispel fears of retribution well to
Local staff and a Thai policeman

Campaign worked and ten months later
The battle was held and turned
Out greater than expected
The result unknown
Then the call came through
On the satellite phone
Projectiles thrown in some locations
Mobs attacking holding stations
HQ called evacuation and
Ordered our withdrawal

We sheltered in the compound while
Militias torched the town
The glow of burning buildings as night fell
Had tensions running high

The flow of refugees and a praiser wife
To the protection of our presence
Automatic gunfire rang out
Premeditated menace

And calls for backup to Canberra were
Met with silence and indecision
Domestic interventions outside the mandate
Of this mission

And at dawn the order came
For all essential personnel
At 0900 the choppers would come to
Fly us out of hell

Now how can I meet the eye?
Of this man that I’ve worked beside
And tell him that I’m free to leave
Today while he is sure to die

I wanna hide
Don’t understand how these people
Can be abandoned and I wonder
If the minister will be there to
Meet us when we land