A post-war potluck of flashbacks, nightmares, cold sweats, self-doubt and rationalization. And blistering guitars. Love this one.



That man I shot, He was trying to kill me
He was trying to kill me He was trying to kill me
That man I shot I didn't know him
I was just doing my job, maybe so was he

That man I shot, I was in his homeland
I was there to help him but he didn't want me there
I did not hate him, I still don't hate him
He was trying to kill me and I had to take him down

That man I shot, I still can see him
When I should be sleeping, tossing and turning
He's looking at me, eyes looking through me
Break out in cold sweats when I see him standing there

That man I shot, shot not in anger
There's no denying it was in self-defense
But when I close my eyes, I still can see him
I feel his last breath in the calm dead of night

That man I shot, He was trying to kill me
He was trying to kill me, He was trying to kill me
Sometimes I wonder if I should be there?
I hold my little ones until he disappears

I hold my little ones until he disappears
I hold my little ones until we disappear
And I'm not crazy or at least I never was
But there's this big thing that can't get rid of

That man I shot did he have little ones
That he was so proud of that he won't see grow up?
Was walking down his street, maybe I was in his yard
Was trying to do good I just don't understand

This is always one of the tracks I use when showing DBT to friends who come from a harder rock background.

One of my least favorite songs on BTCD. but I can't explain why - love it live, though.

Out of all the songs I sent to my buddy, this one sold him on DBT. I have to agree with Iowan on being great for the harder rock backgrounds.

i've always loved this song, great hard rocking guitars but it always seemed a little out of place on BTCD.

I didn't really dig this one at first, but it grew on me. I like Pattersons take on the costs of going to war and dealing with it after you're home.

A much needed injection of face-melting, three guitar rock on an otherwise subdued record

Coincidence that they played this last night?

Not one of my favorites...

I've always liked it but wouldn't put it in the top half of songs on BTCD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGsOhqcq ... re=related

I just wish it wouldn't end at 5 minutes! It needs about 5 more minutes of rock for such a powerful song.

^
killer version

Does anyone have a favorite acoustic version, band or Patterson, of this? I'm pitching to sing it when we have a church service about peace. I think we need to acknowledge the moral injury war puts on people who look like they've walked away in one piece, and this song does that so very well.

Always really loved this song.
Wish they played it more often.
Seen the band like 30 times and pretty sure I've only caught this song once.

I don't like the new arrangement they've been playing live. The original arrangement with the feedback, the distortion, the urgency...it was loud & swirling around your head, etc, you could feel the narrator struggling with what he had done through the music alone. The new arrangement completely loses that feel. Your mileage may vary.

Hmm. I hope I don't here it then. I've caught this one several times and your description is pretty good. If they've tamed it then I hope I miss out on that.