We Slept With Boots On -- Poetry Analysis

Here is the poem, written by Steve Carlsen

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Analysis by me :D

This poem is written from the point of view of a soldier who has fought on the frontline in war. This war was the Iraq war, with many dying with each day. This is seen from : “ Hindu Kush” in the poem, which is a present-day mountain range that used to be a frontline for the Iraq war. The poet is deeply against war, as depicted in his tone de-glorifying war. However, he has no choice in what he does, seen from his harsh words “whether we like it or not”. The Poet tries his best to leave out all his personal emotions so we can face the cold, hard facts. He does not really talk about how he feels. The readers see him as a soldier that is not patriotic and keen to fight for his country, but he is involved in much action in the poem. He is an emotionless character, just doing what he is told to do, whether he likes it or not. It has become a daily ritual for him -- fighting in the war and killing people have become morally acceptable to him.

The situation is tense, grim and severe. “LZ is hot” tells us that the situation was very tense as you could die at any moment. LZ refers to landing zone, and the word “hot” tells us there are firing guns. This shows the precarious situation the soldiers were in, as they could die even before they reach the battle site. “Lead Rain” portrays the firing of the enemy as rain, something that is rapid and unavoidable. “Lead” further enhances the grim situation, as it refers to both the bullets fired and poison. The poet stated that many died through enemy fire. After the tense situation at the front of the poem, the poet tries to relax the readers with a change of tone, seen where he talks about the mountains he climbs with loads, and the part he links the war to religion, where he states “Who knew hell was so close to God” . However, this only makes the readers more tense and want to hate war more. “Who knew hell was so close to God” infers that they were in the mountains, up high where God was believed to be, but as they had committed so much killings they were going to end up in hell. The readers will now feel sorry and sympathetic towards those who lost their lives. The speaker sadly recalls all his lost comrades and mourns the loss of their lives. The poem ends on a grim tone, “And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell, Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell”.


The poem is written nicely in an AA rhyme scheme, with the last syllabus of the first line rhyming with the last one of the second. This makes the poem appear to be like a boring and monotonous recount, which is how the soldiers felt back then. The tone used suggests that the soldiers had no choice and had to do as they were told. The poem makes extensive use of sound devices, the sound of firing, gunfire and war. All these terms help us to “hear” what the writer actually experiences in the fight. The speaker remains cold about his opinion to make the readers have pity on the soldiers and realize this is the grim truth about war.