Trenches
by Eric Smith (1999)

Written while reading a history of World War I.  A song about the spiritual warfare we encounter in our everyday life as we fight for a cause we believe in.  It might be easier to throw down our weapons and make peace, but at what cost?

I’m out in the trenches
No picket fences -- To remind me of home
Plenty of barbed wire
Out in the crossfire -- called No Man’s Land

Why did I sign up?
To be on this line -- up here in the front
Shells fall around us
While the enemy pounds us

We hope,  we pray
And we give our lives away              

You’re writing me letters
You say that its better –  to leave this cause behind
Comfort – you promise
In this you’re honest – its safer where you stand

There’s so much confusion
In the delusion -- that peace and safety reign
Signs all around us
While the enemy pounds us –
You eat, you drink               
And you sleep your life away  

What are we fighting for
Not fighting for gain
Not fighting for land
Not fighting for causes we don’t understand
We’re fighting for something more

I’m out in the trenches
Tearing  down fences -- that keep us apart
Cut all the barbed wire
Ran through the crossfire – straight through No Man’s Land
Its my occupation
My chosen vocation – a fight I want to win
And though it’s tempting
We’re not relenting – we’re in this until the end