Music Friday: "One"

I remember hearing today's featured song blasting from car stereos in my high school's parking lot quite often during my senior year. Metallica's ...And Justice for All was released just in time for the start of fall semester 1988.

Metallica's "One" is a video from my youth that creeped me out a bit back then, and it continues to make me slightly uncomfortable now because of the same reasons--the scenes from the 1971 film adaptation of Johnny Got His Gun, the 1938 anti-war novel by Dalton Trumbo, which is the inspiration for the lyrics of the song.

I regret to say that I still haven't read the novel although I plan to do so sometime.

But I do know the main character of the novel loses his arms, legs, and all of his face, but his mind functions just fine. He's a prisoner of war in his own body. Or as the lyrics relate, "Body my holding cell."

Although the main character's horrible situation is an extreme case, the video reminds me of guy I saw at the Indianapolis Children's Museum this winter when we took the kids there.

As I was with my kids riding the carousel, there was a young man with possibly his nieces or nephews or perhaps even his kids. The gentleman, obviously a veteran of our violent excursions in the Middle East, had one leg and merely nubs for arms. His arms only went to about halfway down to where his full biceps used to be. He had to use a crutch underneath the arm opposite his leg to walk.

Back during the fall semester I think, one of my colleagues sent an email to a bunch of us asking about any song lyrics that would pair well with poems for the general education literature class she was teaching. I don't think I mentioned "One" when I responded to her query.

In retrospect, I think the song would pair well with Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum Est."

I don't intend to cast a pall on your Friday, but "One" is a song that floated into my consciousness recently since I worked out while listening to ...And Justice for All on Wednesday.

For the lyrics of the song, you can check them out after the jump.


I can't remember anything,
Can't tell if this is true or dream.
Deep down inside I feel the scream.
This terrible silence stops it there.

Now that the war is through with me,
I'm waking up. I cannot see
That there's not much left of me.
Nothing is real but pain now.

Hold my breath as I wish for death.
Oh please God, help me.

Back in the womb it's much too real.
In pumps life that I must feel
But can't look forward to reveal,
Look to the time when I'll live.

Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty,
Tied to machines that make me be,
Cut this life off from me.

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god, wake me

Now the world is gone I'm just one
Oh god, help me

Hold my breath as I wish for death.
Oh please God, help me.

Darkness imprisoning me.
All that I see
Absolute horror.
I cannot live.
I cannot die.
Trapped in myself,
Body my holding cell.

Landmines has taken my sight,
Taken my speech,
Taken my hearing,
Taken my arms,
Taken my legs,
Taken my soul,
Left me with life in hell.