Refrain (V)

We say, "Thou shalt not kill." But kill we must to live.

We kill to feed, to clothe, to build, to heal, to give;

we kill to please the gods, for sport, just for the thrill;

we kill for love, for hate, for lust; we take a pill

to kill the pain and why it's there. With blade and bomb,

with chemicals and gun, with rope and stone and thumb

we kill each other and ourselves. To dominate

and have control we kill; we purge, exterminate

eradicate and execute; we sanitize,

and ritualize, excuse, deny and euphemize;

we hide and soften how we kill to live. But war

is kind, makes no apology for all its gore,

for savaging the population and the land;

it does not lie, lines up no victims in a pen

to kill. We warriors were glad to kill and live.