Album: Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)

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• I am the one, camouflage and guns
  Risk my life to keep my people from harm
  Authority vested in me
  I sacrifice with my brothers in arms
  
  Through this doorway, what's on the other side?
  Never knowin' exactly what I'll find
  Locked and loaded, voices screaming "Let's go"
  Come on, do it, here we go
  
  (Oh) I'll take a life that others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  (Oh) I'll shut my eyes, it hammers in my head
  Where it'll end, nobody knows
  (Oh) I'll take a life, ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  (Oh) It's playing over and over in my head
  Where it'll end, nobody knows
  
  Stay the course, reasonable force
  I believe I serve a greater good
  Smoke and dust, enemies are crushed
  Nothing left where a man once stood
  
  Through this doorway, what's on the other side?
  Never knowin' exactly what I'll find
  Locked and loaded, voices screaming "Let's go"
  But I'm just doing what I'm told
  
  (Oh) I'll take a life that others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  (Oh) I'll shut my eyes, it hammers in my head
  Where it'll end, nobody knows
  (Oh) I'll take a life, ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  (Oh) It's playing over and over in my head
  Where it begins and where it'll end, nobody knows
  
  Hey, go
  Oh, oh, oh, oh
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  In my head, in my head
  
  Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
  I fear no evil for thou art with me
  Locked and loaded, gonna find my truth now
  I'm busting through, all hell breaks loose, and-a
  (Woo-hoo) And you can all hide behind your desks now
  (Woo-hoo) And you can cry, "Teacher, come help me"
  (Woo-hoo) Through you all, my aim is true
  My
  
  (Woo-hoo)
  (Woo-hoo) My aim is true
  (Woo-hoo)
  My aim is true Writer/s: Bryan Keith Holland
  Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

• Johnybravo from San Francisco CaEverything but the very last lines are about wars in Iraq. “Through this doorway
  What's on the other side
  Never knowing
  Exactly what I'll find” that’s the reference to Urban fighting and clearing the houses. Anyone who served in combat arms in Iraq and Afghan can totally relate to this - especially the part “not knowing what’s on the other side.
  The very last lines are thrown there as a warning about soldiers with PTSD - perhaps our politicians could think more carefully before sending us to fight their f--ked up wars.
  Served in Iraq and Afghanistan 2003 - 2013
• Stinky Brookins from CanadaI always took it as about a school shooter, the last few lines make that crystal clear. However, I always took it as a soldier who went to war and came back, couldn't deal with his PTSD and gave into his dark thoughts.
• Jackson Bowser from CaI think it’s about operation desert storm because the things that looked like crows where actually stealth fighter bombers that where used in operation desert storm the fast pace of the song kinda resembles how we kicked the Iraqi forces really fast and the oil seacne to where there’s oil spitting out which is what the Iraqis did was burning all the oil fields and when u went into a oil field u would have oil spitting out on u
• Ray from Jackson, MiJennifer,
  
  Yep, It sure does sound like its coming from a soldier. Then I read it here, its about a school shooting.
  
  I'm not sure how others feel about the song after any school shooting, but this is The Offspring's style. Criticize a social problem by making it seem ok, like Hit That.
• Jennifer from Scottsdale, AzFrom the first time I heard it, I thought this song was really intense and extremely well written but I always thought this song was about PTSD or a soldiers mindset during war. I have just recently discovered that it is about school shootings. We totally rocked out to this song last fall at an Offspring concert in Tucson. The mosher's went nuts. That was before the tragic school shootings in Connecticut. I am curious how fans will react to this song now.
  
  "Hammerhead"
  
  I am the one
  Camouflage and guns
  Risk my life
  To keep my people from harm
  
  Authority
  Vested in me
  I sacrifice
  With my brothers in arms
  
  Through this doorway
  What's on the other side
  Never knowing
  Exactly what I'll find
  Locked and loaded
  Voices screaming
  Let's go!
  Come on do it
  Here we go!
  
  Oh, take a life
  Ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  Oh, shut my eyes
  It hammers in my head
  Where it'll end
  Nobody knows
  
  Oh, take a life
  Ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  It's playing over and over in my head
  Where it'll end
  Nobody knows
  
  Stay the course
  Reasonable force
  I believe
  I serve a greater good
  
  Smoke and dust
  Enemies are crushed
  Nothing left
  Where a man once stood
  
  Through this doorway
  What's on the other side
  Never knowing
  Exactly what I'll find
  Locked and loaded
  Voices screaming
  Let's go!
  But I'm just doing what I'm told
  
  Oh, take a life
  Ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  Oh, shut my eyes
  It hammers in my head
  Where it'll end
  Nobody knows
  
  Oh, take this life
  Ten others may live
  Oh, that's just the way it goes
  It's playing over and over in my head
  Where it begins
  And where it'll end
  Nobody knows
  
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  Bang, bang, it hammers in my head
  In my head, in my head
  
  Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
  I fear no evil for Thou art with me
  Locked and loaded
  Gonna find my truth
  Now I'm busting through
  All hell breaks loose
  
  And you can all hide behind your desks now
  And you can cry, 'teacher come help me!'
  Through you all
  My aim is true!
  My
  My aim is true!
  
  My aim is true
  
  

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