So Be It
I'm so young, so young to be this way
So young to be hardened, so soon
But it wasn't I who chose this Fate
Or I who chose these blood-stained hands
Or I who chose that hate
That surges up and makes me want to scream
That makes me want to take my hands
And…and…
All the blood I've shed, all of it
So many innocents – but it's so hard to tell now
I kill the innocent to kill the evil inside
Yet the one thing I most yearn to kill…
That creature's blood is the only blood that escapes me…
I feel so tired, so tired beyond belief
So old, so ancient, so rugged, beyond me
There are those who claim to be older than I
But I, who have lived a thousand years and more,
I know the truth.
They – they have not seen war – no, never!
They do not know what it is! They listen to brave speeches
And loud noises, and the bangs and the booms
But then I climb into the trench
And when my people have their arms and legs blown away
It is not the enemy that kills them
It is I.
I never wanted it to be this way
Never, but who am I to resist Destiny's beckon?
All of us, we all bow to Destiny's winds
And if that eluding cry commands the death of thousands,
So be it,
And if that cry demands the death of our souls,
So be it
And if the one thing that may remain is my charred body
And my stricken mind, and my blood-stained hands
Well then, so be it.