[Verse 1]
Silent soldiers on a silver screen
Framed in fantasies and drugged in dream
Unpaid actors of the mystery
The mad director knows that freedom will not make you free
And what's this got to do with me?
[Chorus]
I declare the war is over
It's over, it's over
[Verse 2]
Drums are drizzling on a grain of sand
Fading rhythms of a fading land
Prove your courage in the proud parade
Trust your leaders where mistakes are almost never made
And they're afraid that I'm afraid
[Chorus]
I'm afraid the war is over
It's over, it's over
[Verse 3]
Angry artists painting angry signs
Use their vision just to blind the blind
Poisoned players of a grisly game
One is guilty and the other gets the point to blame
Pardon me if I refrain
[Chorus]
I declare the war is over
It's over, it's over
[Verse 4]
So do your duty, boys, and join with pride
Serve your country in her suicide
Find a flag so you can wave goodbye
But just before the end even treason might be worth a try
This country is too young to die
[Chorus]
I declare the war is over
It's over, it's over
[Verse 5]
One-legged veterans will greet the dawn
And they're whistling marches as they mow the lawn
And the gargoyles only sit and grieve
The gypsy fortune teller told me that we'd been deceived
You only are what you believe
[Chorus]
And I believe the war is over
It's over, it's over
The War Is Over was written by Phil Ochs.
The War Is Over was produced by Larry Marks.