Disposable Heroes is the fifth track on 1986's Master of Puppets, composed by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett.Keeping with the theme of manipulation and powerlessness, the song is about the drafting system, war, and death, explaining the title "Disposable Heroes". The line "back to the front" is said multiple times in the song. The song is the third longest song in the entire album, after "Orion" and "Master of Puppets". It is also interesting to note that the middle section ("Why am I dying?" etc., before and after the guitar solo) is the last place for a long time where Lars Ulrich plays the ride cymbal. Not fond of this particular piece of percussion, Ulrich didn't return to it until "Until It Sleeps".
Lyrics of Disposable Heroes
Bodies fill the fields I see, hungry heroes end
No one to play soldier now, no one to pretend
Running blind through killing fields, bred to kill them all
Victim of what said should be
A servant 'til I fall
Soldier boy, made of clay
Now an empty shell
Twenty one, only son
But he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
Do just as we say
Finished here, greetings death
He's yours to take away
Back to the front
You will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
You will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
You coward
You servant
You blind man
Barking of machine gun fire, does nothing to me now
Sounding of the clock that ticks, get used to it somehow
More a man, more stripes you bare, glory seeker trends
Bodies fill the fields I see
The slaughter never ends
Soldier boy, made of clay
Now an empty shell
Twenty one, only son
But he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
Do just as we say
Finished here, greetings death
He's yours to take away
Back to the front
You will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
You will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
You coward
You servant
You blind man
Why, am I dying?
Kill, have no fear
Lie, live off lying
Hell, hell is here
Why, am I dying?
Kill, have no fear
Lie, live off lying
Hell, hell is here
I was born for dying
Life planned out before my birth, nothing could I say
Had no chance to see myself, molded day by day
Looking back I realize, nothing have I done
Left to die with only friend
Alone I clench my gun
Soldier boy, made of clay
Now an empty shell
Twenty one, only son
But he served us well
Bred to kill, not to care
Do just as we say
Finished here, greetings death
He's yours to take away
Back to the front
You will do what I say, when I say
Back to the front
You will die when I say, you must die
Back to the front
You coward
You servant
You blind man
Back to the front
Back to the front
Back to the front
Back to the front
Back to the front