We've been asking questions of everyone we meet
People that we've known for years, neighbors down the street
How did it happen, how were we played for fools?
Gamblin' with our children's lives in a game that knows no rules
We need an answer, a reason why
The rulers wage the wars, but our children fight and die 

Mothers and fathers, you're charged with your children's lives
It's up to you to cull between the truth and all the lies
Is there a parent, livin' on this earth
Who doesn't realize what their children's dreams are worth?
We need an answer, a reason why
The rulers wage the wars, but our children fight and die 

Did you ever think about the pain in the night
Of the mother whose child was killed in the bloody fight?
Or the young veteran who comes home, but not the same
Did you ever wonder how it feels to have that pain? 

Presidents and dictators, tyrants and the shahs
Order you to go to war according to their personal laws
But don't blame your mothers and your fathers, or your feelings inside,
Cause you're all the victims of generations of lies
When it comes right down to it, it's up to you
The future of the world depends on what you do.