Prisoner Of War [James Young]

Prisoner Of War
Written by Jan Hammer & Colin Hodgkinson
Lead Vocals by James Young

Name, rank and number
That's all that you're allowed to tell
So they drag down the hallway
And lock you up in a cell
There ain't no doors or windows
Light's on night and day
You can scream plead or beg them
But nobody hears what you say

Prisoner of War
What were you fighting for?
Do you know? You're a
Prisoner of War
What were you fighting for?
Do you know?

You didn't steal their secrets
Don't believe in no cause
They know you've done no wrong
But you've broken all of their laws
Barbed wire, dogs and borders
We're brave, but we're not free
The whole world's a prison and
Somebody's lost the key

Prisoner of War
What were you fighting for?
Do you know? You're a
Prisoner of War
What were you fighting for?
Do you know?

Interpretation

Prisoners of war suffer under terrible living conditions, with little hope of release.  Most are just soldiers doing what they were told, not spies or lawbreakers.  Was it really worth it?  Do they even know why we are fighting?

JY: "This one's a stark and scary song. It allowed me vocally to put a different personality into it that isn't on any other song. In a sense, I guess we're all prisoners of war. Now isn't that uplifting!?"