What is your interpretation of the song "One Tin Soldier"?

Question

Listen children to a story
That was written long ago
Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley far below
On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath a stone
And the valley people swore
They'd have it for their very own

Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the Judgment Day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away

(lyrics continue in additional information)

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill
Asking for the buried treasure
Tons of gold for which they'd kill
Came an answer from the kingdom
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of the mountain
All the riches buried there"

Now the valley cried with anger
"Mount your horses, draw your swords"
And they killed the mountain people
So they won their just reward
As they stood beside the treasure
On the mountain, dark and red
Turned the stone and looked beneath it
Peace on Earth was all it said



im most interested in your thoughts on the 'one tin soldier'.

Answer 1

Peace is the only true wealth worth achieving but in our greedfor material goods it's the one thing we cannot have.

Answer 2

Im so glad you asked this question because I've been listening to the song like 30 times since I got it, But here is an answer to your question, "One Tin Soldier" tells the abstract story of a hidden treasure and two feuding peoples (the Mountain People and the Valley People) to describe how inhumane some people can be when greed is involved. The Valley People are aware of a "treasure" on the mountain, buried under a stone; they send a message to the Mountain People demanding those riches. When told they can share the treasure, the Valley People instead mount their horses, swords drawn, and ride up to take it by force. After killing all the Mountain People, the victors move the stone and find nothing more than a simple message: "Peace on Earth". There is no real way to explaine what the song is about other than how inhuman people can sometimes be when it comes to greed, its a lesson in learning :) (Anti-War song) --Vanessa

Answer 3

The song refers to the ancient struggle of wanting what the other guy has, or the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, or coveting thy neighbor's wife and possessions. When people let greed and envy control their actions the outcome is never good. This is a lesson that spiritual teachers have been trying to teach us since before history was being recorded, and yet, we still have not learned...and so the lesson goes on until we get it right.

Answer 4

Man's desire to gain all...at any price. Without realizing what true treasure and real gain is. Do you know the REAL ending to the song and the original artists?

The Original artists were a group called "Coven" and the last line said "Blessed Be" the producers didn't like the Wiccan ending and had them change it to Peace on Earth.

Answer 5

That song has always saddened me. In my opinion it shows how greed is really the cause of all our pain here on Earth. From money,to land,to social class,there will always be a large percentage of people that will ALWAYS want just a little bit more than everyone else.
Peace...

Answer 6

Don`t know. it sounds like a load of cr ap to me, could mean anything or nothing.

Answer 7

It's about greed.
(i just raised my arm in a billy jack salute to you...xxoo, D.)

Answer 8

story of a hidden treasure and two feuding peoples and greed...

Answer 9

Good but boring!

Answer 10

one mans treasure is another mans folly