The Who- I've Known No War

"I've Known No War" is a song by the British rock band The Who, originally released on their 1982 album It's Hard. Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, the song reflects personal thoughts on the Cold War, and contains lyrics referring to the end of World War II. ? Galbraith took his pen to break down the men of the German army defeated On the nineteenth day of a spring day in May, Albert Speer was deleted And as soon as the battle was over, I was born in victorious clover And I've never been shot at or gassed never tortured or stabbed And I'm sure - I'll never know war ? Townshend felt confident about the song, even stating that he felt it was one of the best tracks The Who ever did.[1] Parke Puterbaugh of Rolling Stone magazine stated that the song was the key to the album, as he wrote in his 1982 review of It's Hard "'I've Known No War,' [is] a song that could become an anthem to our generation much the way 'Won't Get Fooled Again' did a decade ago. 'I've Known No War' is one conscientious objector's statement of defiant opposition, tempered by the realities of the present day. To wit, that a nuclear war, despite our best pacifistic inclinations, is in the hands of a few men who will simply decide to push a button, and that the ensuing annihilation will be sudden, certain and eternal I've known no war And if I ever do I won't know for sure Who'll be fighting whom For the soldiers lonely tomb Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar I'll know no war Galbraith took his pen To break down the men Of the German army defeated On the nineteenth day Of a spring day in May Albert Speer was deleted And as soon as the battle was over I was born in victorious clover And I've never been shot at or gassed Never tortured or stabbed And I'm sure - I'll never know war I know I'll never know war And if I ever do The glimpse will be short Fireball in the sky No front line battle cries Can be heard as the button is pushed By a soul that's been bought I'll know no war In an out of reach loft The medals are lost They belong to a lone broken sailor His provinces now Are the bars of the town His songs and his poems of failure For his grandchildren can't see the glory And his own kids are bored with the story But for him they'd have burned behind netting From the brink they were grabbed And I'm sure I'll never know war I've known no war And if I ever do I won't know for sure Who'll be fighting whom For the soldier's lonely tomb Now opens as soon as the referee's gun starts to roar I'll know no war War - I've known no war I'll never know war And if I ever know it The glimpse will be short Fireball in the sky No front line battles cries 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 there's no point pretending that knowing will help us abort I'll know no war