I've Known No War
The Who
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I've known no war I've known no war And if I ever do I won't know for sure And if I ever do I won't know for sure Who'll be fighting whom Who'll be fighting whom For the soldiers lonely tomb For the soldiers lonely tomb Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar I'll know no war I'll know no war Galbraith took his pen Galbraith took his pen To break down the men To break down the men Of the German army defeated Of the German army defeated On the nineteenth day On the nineteenth day Of a spring day in May Of a spring day in may Albert Speer was deleted Albert Speer was deleted And as soon as the battle was over And as soon as the battle was over I was born in victorious clover I was born in victorious clover And I've never been shot at or gassed And I've never been shot at or gassed Never tortured or stabbed Never tortured or stabbed And I'm sure, I'll never know war And I'm sure, I'll never know war I know I'll never know war I know I'll never know war And if I ever do And if I ever do The glimpse will be short The glimpse will be short Fireball in the sky Fireball in the sky No front line battle cries No front line battle cries Can be heard and the button is pushed Can be heard and the button is pushed By a soul that's been bought By a soul that's been bought I'll know no war I'll know no war In and out of reach loft In and out of reach loft The medals are lost The medals are lost They belong to a lone broken sailor They belong to a lone broken sailor His provinces now His provinces now Are the bars of the town Are the bars of the town His songs and his poems of failure His songs and his poems of failure For his grandchildren can't see the glory For his grandchildren can't see the glory And his own kids are bored with the story And his own kids are bored with the story But for him they'd have burned behind netting But for him they'd have burned behind netting From the brink they were grabbed From the brink they were grabbed And I'm sure And I'm sure I'll never know war I'll never know war I've known no war I've known no war And if I ever do I won't know for sure And if I ever do I won't know for sure Who'll be fighting whom Who'll be fighting whom For the soldiers lonely tomb For the soldiers lonely tomb Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar I'll know no war I'll know no war War, I've known no war War, I've known no war I'll never know war I'll never know war And if I ever know it And if I ever know it The glimpse will be short The glimpse will be short Fireball in the sky Fireball in the sky No front line battle cries No front line battle cries Can be heard as the button is pushed by a soul that's been bought Can be heard as the button is pushed by a soul that's been bought And the armies remaining will judge without people or courts And the armies remaining will judge without people or courts And there's no point pretending that knowing will help us abort And there's no point pretending that knowing will help us abort I'll know no war I'll know no war
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Written by: PETE TOWNSHEND
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Album Classification"I've Known No War" is a track from the English rock band The Who's tenth studio album, "It's Hard," released in 1982.
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SongwritingPete Townshend, the group's principal songwriter, wrote "I've Known No War." Townshend is known for his introspective, philosophical lyrics.
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ConceptThe song was written about the aftermath of World War II. Townshend, born in 1945, was a "baby boomer," a generation born during a period of relative peace and prosperity following the war.
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ThemeThe song deals with the theme of the fear of nuclear war, a looming worry during the Cold War era when it was written.
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Musical Elements"I've Known No War" features Townshend's signature guitar work with its swirling, somewhat psychedelic chords.
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Album ReceptionDespite being less commercially successful than their earlier albums, "It's Hard" received decent critical acclaim. "I've Known No War" is one of the album's standout tracks in many critics' view.
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Live Performances"I've Known No War" has been infrequently played in The Who's live performances, making it a somewhat obscure gem in their discography.
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Lyrical ReferenceThe lyrics mention "Bridges burning" which could be interpreted as a reference to their earlier song "Baba O'Riley," in which Roger Daltrey sings "I don't need to fight / To prove I'm right / I don't need to be forgiven.”
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Historical ContextThe song's title may refer to the fortunate fate of Pete Townshend and his generation who never went to war, contrasting with the preceding generations who fought in two World Wars.
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AtmosphereThe song captures a mood of unease, tension, and reflection, employing Townshend's skill in fusing emotion and thought-provoking content in his lyrics.
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Citation
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"I've Known No War Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1560706/The+Who/I%27ve+Known+No+War>.
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