Hearts On The Pacific: Hellraiser On Okinawa

This is the first full 'episode' of the Hearts On The Pacific story.

Enjoy:

I was haunting backstreet alleys
You'd better pray to God if you believe
Prepare your eulogy
Watch your back if you want to leave here alive

Over and out sergeant,
Fire at will, at the ready
Have you heard about Riley?
That he died in his sleep
Throat slit, he lies incomplete

Chorus:
Well now I'll write a letter to dear Mom and Dad
'I hope I'll be coming back,
The sun's been a little early'
Oh God, don't fail me now
I've been a good boy since back then

Time flows backwards in these memories
Without the paler faces
And broken bodies
Screaming aloud 'God, please save me'.

I remember the grocery store
The looks on their faces
Oh, what a disaster

Chorus

Bodies burning
Hearts stopped beating
Mitchell's not breathing anymore

Chorusx2

They're screaming on the radio
Screaming on the radio
'The war is won'

We're screaming on the radio
Screaming on the radio
'Have we really won?'

(END)

There's a fair bit to talk about in this song.

The staccato-ish (I think I'm using that right) guitar in the verse represents the gunshots, explosions and general carnage going around the character (Private Jack Miller) as he fights in the final days/weeks of WW2 on the island of Okinawa, Japan.

Backgound info:
In line 1, 'I was haunting backstreet alleys', this refers to Jack's time as a young, small-time criminal in America. He attempts to rob a grocery store (verse 2) and gets arrested. Instead of going to jail, Jack gets the option to enlist in the army instead which he does.

A large portion of the first verse is basically Jack remembering all the words and advice he received from the people he met in the army.

During the pre-chorus, the lessened intensity represents a break in the action as Jack sits with his platoon mates. The first 2/3 lines is him recalling more words from various soldiers he knows. Another soldier talks about Riley, a young soldier who was killed during an earlier night ambush by the Japanese, having his throat slit in his sleep. The reason he 'lies incomplete' is because he never fulfilled his promise to return home to his family (sorry if this wasn't clear).

Thinking about Riley's promise to his family, Jack writes a letter to his parents saying that he's planning to come back to them a better person. The reason he mentions 'God' a number of times here is reflective slightly of his gradual loss of faith after the horrors of the war.

In verse 2, as Jack witnesses the death around him, he recalls why he ended up in the war and ponders if it was worth it.

The bridge is straight-forward enough, more death and horrible stuff.

The outro represents Jack and the others hearing of the end of the war. Outraged by how many lives were lost, Jack asks 'Have we really won?'

Phew, that was major.

Sorry it took a while to get this up.

Until next time.:)