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Song Parodies -> "War"

Original Song Title:

"War"

 (MP3)
Original Performer:

Edwin Starr

Parody Song Title:

"War"

Parody Written by:

Steve Kalafut

The Lyrics

War has never accomplished anything, except free the colonies from the tyranny of King George III, free African-Americans from slavery, and end the viciously oppressive regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Milosevich, Saddam and the Taliban, to name some obvious examples.
War, huh, yeah
Some say it's good for
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh?
War, huh, yeah
Is it just good for
Absolutely nothing?
Say it again, y'all
War, huh, good God
One thing it's brought us
US independence
Listen to me

Ahhh-pease, don't do that
Because it means submission
If we don't fight back
War means hope
When vilest of men attack
Sometimes you have to fight
To save your lives

I said, war, huh
Good God, y'all
What is it good for?
Getting rid of Hitler
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for?
No more Mussolini
Listen to me

War, the patriot's last resort
War, gave George the Third our loudest retort
Yes, war, when appeasement is the other choice
To rule out war blows my mind
War has freed the slaves
From Massa's old racist plantation
Abduction then oppression
Who wants that life?

Aaaaah, war-huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for,
But Saddam's removal?
Say it, say it, say it
War, huh
What is it good for?
Now we want Bin Laden

Listen to me
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Standing up to Stalin
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Justice for Milos'vich
Say it again y'all
War, huh, good God
What is it good for?
Better than appeasement

Listen to me
Hey, there are rulers who are dictators
Hey, they have one friend, that's the undertaker
Ooooh, they have shattered
Many a people's dreams
Made them disabled, starving and lean
Life is much to short and precious
To let tyrants have their ways
War can't give life
But can end a tyrant's days.

Ooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Freeing from oppression
Say it again
War, whoa, Lord
What is it good for?
Freedom of expression
Listen to me

War, should consider when all else has failed
War, should we otherwise just turn our tails?
Peace, love and understanding
Tell me, do our foes have respect for these?
Sometimes we must fight to keep our freedom
'Cause Lord knows it never helps us to appease

Ooooooh, war, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for?
You tell me
Say it, say it, say it, say it

War, huh
Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Stand up and shout it
Freedom!!!!

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Voting Results

 
Pacing: 3.6
How Funny: 3.7
Overall Rating: 3.7

Total Votes: 10

Voting Breakdown

The following represent how many people voted for each category.

    Pacing How Funny Overall Rating
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 2   2
 1
 1
 
 3   0
 1
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 4   0
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 5   6
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User Comments

Comments are subject to review, and can be removed by the administration of the site at any time and for any reason.

Guy - September 03, 2004 - Report this comment
I saw Edwin Starr perform this live and at the time I believed the message because the war in Vietnam was not being prosecuted correctly. I love the way you turned the message around to fit what we see now. This is great parody, turning a song 180 degrees. Well done Steve.
Johnny D - September 03, 2004 - Report this comment
Yup, as you say, "when all else has failed", and if the only alternatives left are to either stand idly by while the planet is conquered by psychotically sadistic murderers, or conquer THEM instead, I would choose the latter.
PresidentLieutenentDan - November 19, 2017 - Report this comment
Glad to know we have a legitimate answer to that age old question at last. I hope others see these lyrics and after thinking it over, come to realize that of course war should never be the first option, but it can never not be an option in the face of malevolent rule.
Cakesniffe - September 05, 2018 - Report this comment
This isn't a parody. It's simply a rather poor, tone-deaf rewrite of the original with an altered message. Parodies are supposed to be funny.

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