Songfacts®:

• An uncharacteristically mellow song from the rock group Smile Empty Soul, "This Is War" is written from the perspective of a man who finds himself fighting for America in the Iraq War. He's a peaceful, church-going guy, but now has to kill for his country, and he's understandably conflicted.
  
  "There are all these people who joined the military just because they thought it was gonna help them straighten out their life or fund college or something," lead singer Sean Danielsen explained to MTV. "And then they end up fighting in this crazy war."
• The song was one of the first to take a critical look at the Iraq War, which started in March 2003, a few months before the song was released on Smile Empty Soul's self-titled debut album. At the time, most Americans supported the war, and it seemed to be going well: on May 1, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations in a speech on board the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier in front of a banner that read, "Mission Accomplished."
  
  The war was far from over. American troops didn't withdraw until 2011, with the mission far from accomplished.
• The song is specific to the Iraq War, but the music video uses footage of various wars American has engaged in throughout history.