Songfacts®:

• Vocalist Geoff Tate explained this song on Queensrÿche's discussion forum Anybody Listening: "This is one of my favorite songs on the collection. I like the idea of what this song is saying, and the lyrics are almost hard for me to sing, because the soldier is saying, 'What ever happened to people feeling a conviction and having faith in an idea and a belief? People can't stand their ground. I've always known that it's very black and white, and I have no fear of any judgment. The military has taught me that...' I find that statement to be really challenging, because I'm one of those vacillators that goes back and forth and tries to think of every angle, the cause and effect. That's definitely not me talking! [Laughing] The chorus talks about the mentality of the unstoppable force. If you've ever played a sport or have been on a roll writing music as a musician, you know that unstoppable feeling - that's what this song is getting at. It's a combat song, really. It's one of my favorite melodic Queensrÿche songs. It's very anthemic with really beautiful parts."
• The song is written from the perspective of a soldier preparing for battle, and transcribes the train-of-thought running through his head. It examines the contradictory nature of absolute conviction: how we can be lost without it, but with too much be drawn into hardheaded conflicts.