“What could he do? Should’ve been a father But he never even made it to his twenties” Hits hard

Fact: the Civil War was also called the Boys War because almost all the recruits were boys under 18, the youngest being 9 and the range being 10 and up. And this song perfectly fits it.

Every time the child is on screen I tear up. Who really died was a young adult, but she still sees him as her little boy who is worthy of protection and unconditional love. Her repeatedly running up to a hallucination of her son shows that she is still in denial and wishes to wake up from this terrible nightmare soon. But she can’t, because it’s all real and her beloved boy is really gone. The fact that she, as the mother, is portrayed as a soldier participating in the war is so genius. Especially since she looks traumatised and shell shocked. She is fighting her very own war and wishes she could have fought side by side with her son and protect him while he was on that scary battlefield all lonely and scared. I will never be able not watch this video without bawling my eyes out

“But he never even made it to his twenties” hits so hard☹️

I love how she blinks with the shutter sound. So clever.

This song is so heartbreaking but so beautiful. It's almost like a lullaby in a way, like she's singing her little soldier to sleep.

The transition on “what he could should’ve been a father” hits hard😢

Clearing up some misconceptions cuz y'all are stressing me out "This song is 13 years old" This song was released in 1980. It was only uploaded to KZfaq in 2010. So it's actually 44 years old. Honestly I thought it would be obvious that this was made in the 80s because of the quality of the video "This woman is so talented, how is she only getting famous now?!" Kate Bush is already famous, especially in the 80s during her prime. She has received 13 nominations for the BRIT Awards but has only won once. She was even appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contributions to music. She is also the one who sang Running Up That Hill, which went viral on social media after it was featured on the Netflix original series "Stranger Things" So TL;DR - This song is almost 50 years old, and Kate Bush isn't some random underground artist that no one knew about until this song started trending on TikTok

As a soldier I listened, but didn't understand this song. Today as a parent I understand it, horrific and beautiful at the same time.

The part around 2:07 where she drops the rifle and rushes to embrace her son, but he's not there is every parent's worst nightmare repeated over and over. Really upsets me .

For those that don’t know what the song means, it is about being forced into the army from a very young age 15, for example and being made to fight and the “what should he do he should’ve been a rockstar, but he never had the money for a guitar means the teen got paid barely anything to fight in the army. “He should’ve been a politician but he never had another education”means the teenager got pulled out of school to fight in the army. The song is called army dreamers bc the teens dreams, evaporated in the army.

Her voice is so majestic as ever...

My brother died in the air force a month ago. He was 29. He was gonna go to California. Once i asked him what he wanted to be, and he said he wanted to be a math professor. He loved math and chess and art and music. He was amazing at black jack. He once took me to a chess competition and i remember winning against an adult in the free play room, and i was so excited. This song reminded me of him. Edit: a lot of people are assuming he died in war(which is perfectly reasonable, i wasn't clear) but he died in his room due to unknown circumstances, thank you all for all the love and condolences🩷

Four years in the military have showed me that vast majority of my fellow comrades joined because they came from poor, broken families, could not afford higher education w/o military's help or just wanted to get out of their towns, villages were there was no future for them. Very few joined because they felt it was their patriotic duty to serve.

In faded photographs, I see him there, A boy too young to carry such a stare. In uniforms, they dressed him, boots so bright, Yet shadows grew where once was pure light. He dreamt of fields where daisies kissed the sky, Not foreign lands where soldiers go to die. His laughter, once a melody of spring, Now whispers low, a distant, broken string. Beneath the stars, he spoke of love and dreams, But fate had sewn a different set of seams. His letters home, with ink now smeared and gray, Speak tales of valor wrapped in disarray. Oh, mother’s tears that stained the windowpane, Each drop a symbol of her silent pain. Her army dreamer, taken by the night, A youthful soul now lost to endless fight. And though I never walked the path he tread, His sorrowed steps echo within my head. For dreams of youth in battles’ harsh embrace, Leave scars unseen, yet etched on every face. In quiet moments, when the world is still, I hear his voice, a haunting, gentle trill. A plea for peace amidst the war’s cruel scheme, Forever caught in endless army dreams.

Thanks to my oldest daughter (16) recommending this to me, we're listening now and all i can do is shed tears 😢

the fact in the background it was whispering " Mommy's hero " 😢 another thing I noticed that at 2:07 her mumbling sounds like she's crying.. but I think people have pointed this out already

For those curious, the song is about a mother grieving for her son, however a topic this song covers that people don't talk about is that if you ask a lot of soldiers, you'll usually find that a lot of them come from poor backgrounds, working in the military is a job that pays well (from my information i may be wrong) who want to feed their family back home, "but he never had a proper education" and "but he didn't have the money for a guitar" both prove my point, another thing, you might brush this off at first but the soldier is a child, the point of this i feel is to show that it won't just a soldier, it's another mothers lost son, when the child becomes a brown man, this can represent how war changes you. I might just be over analylising this though, anyways thanks for listening to my long rant

Man all these lyrics just make me tear up fr

I like how no one realises the true lyrics of this song and just goes along with "merry-go-round song"

B.F.P.O. in the lyrics stands for "British Forces Posted Overseas" in case anyone was wondering.

To everyone saying “This song is just now getting popular after 13 years” this song came out in 1980, it says so in the description.

I really love songs and movies that reflect the cruel and painful reality of war, it reminds me to always respect and appreciate the young people who are willing to sacrifice for the peace of the country.Thank you Kate Bush for making this song💖

i remember a year ago i showed my friends this music video, and said: look how beautiful, this song is so beautiful. they didnt like it. now its viral, and they finally like it

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but Kate seems to only be blinking when you hear (what appears to be) the gun reloading in the background. I just found it kind of symbolic of the PTSD experienced by soldiers, like how certain sounds will trigger them into flashbacks, or they might become jumpy (she also appears worried or scared when she blinks). It reminded me of how you hear stories of fireworks startling veterans into an intrusive memory where they can't differentiate the trauma induced memory from reality. just thought I'd point it out.

I didnt hear people talk about how beautiful her vocals are!!!!! This is such a pretty but eerie song

I love that people are discovering Kate Bush now, I grew up on her music :-)

This music gives me the chills but not like scared ones but sad ones. Anyone agree?

This song is trending again and I think Kate bush deserves it this song saved my life 😭

“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

Why is this sad song such a banger?

My old music teacher played songs using a projector that was mounted in the ceiling this was one of these songs so hearing this song after so many years kinda took me back to when I was a kid sitting on a old rug with other children while care bears would line her shelves because she loved collecting them Not sure how she's doing now but hope she's doing okay

There is actually a really good representation of shell shock when the two soldiers pop up. One is constantly blinking, while the other one is barely blinking. The one barely blinking is presumably doing the thousand yard stare which many soldiers did after being shell shocked. For anyone unaware of the term shell shock; Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many soldiers experienced during the war, before PTSD was officially recognized. It is a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting that produced helplessness, which could manifest as panic, fear, flight, or an inability to reason, sleep, walk, or talk. (Definition from Google)

Kate Bush was about *19 years old* when she wrote this! To be that pulled together and artistic so young is amazing!

i love how raw this video is and its so iconic

I've had this song stuck in my head all day, and I just spent like what-felt-like 3 hours trying to find it. My brain can rest now, lol

This song does things to me. That "click click" sound you hear (2.06) and all the way through the track is an SLR chambering a round. Was in the army when this was released and that sound still sends shivers up my spine.

"War has no winners,war has survivors."😢

I'm so glad that I found this beautiful song

This song is so beautiful, and perfect for every mood like when I am sad it acts as a sad song, when I am happy it sounds like a Happy song just you don't have to pay attention to the lyrics, etc.❤❤❤ Literally in LOVE with this song ❤❤❤❤😊

I'm not ashamed that I discovered this absolute beauty of a song from tiktok, and I'm so happy I even got to listen to this beautiful song :))

A story of a woman dealing with the loss of her son drafted into war. This song is probably one of the most beautiful songs i have ever heard, and i probably listen to it more than 3 times a day because of how amazing it is.

She was famous back then. I was dancing to her songs with a circle of girls at a birthday party, she was number one in top of the pops... it was a loooonnng time ago that she was famous too... and she was adored and unique

Every old music is like wine it gets good every time

she's a genius, i cry every time i hear this song . jack, age 79, 2024

Best anti war song ever written and it's by Kate Bush

Я в шоке. Как же довно вышли самые популярные сейчас песни. Эта песня вышла всего после года моего рождения.

NO WORDS😢 BEATYFUL❤❤❤❤❤

Magically found this a month ago during a stay in the mental hospital,the nurses played it on a playlist it was pretty haunting 😭

the way she sings "our little army boy" in the beginning it sounds like "our little lamby boy" which is DEVASTATING like she's his mother he'll always be a child to her, and it such a tender and loving endearment

I first listened to this song 5 years ago. I didn't understand the depth at that time but now I cry everytime I hear this.

You can even see the sadness in her eyes having lost her boy, this is so heartbreaking 💔 😢

For every soldier, my great uncle died aged 19 in the first world war. Just a few weeks before it ended, his body was never found, he just has a headstone in a huge cemetery in France.

The softness of the music makes the action in the video so much louder

“What a wast” that hit EXTREMELY HARD. Also when the little boy from the bringing turns into a (not-so-grown) man made me nearly shed a tear. 😭 (I know that’s a “laughing” emoji but I wish I was still able to use it as a crying emoji)

All the lyrics are just really heartbreaking, I tear up every time i listen ☹️

My dad was sent to military week ago, he is 51, his life only started, this song makes me so sad, but I love it, hope war will end soon.

I feel this more than ever. I have an 8 year old little brother, he is playful, dreamed of becoming a football player, just like Zinchenko, but then he saw some clips on TV and said he would like to become a soldier, he was fascinated by the Ukranian Army, he also loved eating sweets made from fruit, I lost him in a bombing carried out in my neighborhood in Kharkiv March 27th 🇺🇦. I couldn't save him. I'll never forget his little smile, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I wish I was there, I couldn't save him. I'll never forget his little smile, now I'm thinking what he could be, he was so smart and curious.

I love this sounds, if makes me feel calm and I felt bad how she said he didn't made it to his 20s but it's sad and calm at the same time to my feelings and I love how the details in the smoke and bombs.

She has a beautiful sound i can’t believe this pretty sound.!!

The sergeant screaming in the back always gave me chills, gosh Kate bush’s music is timeless I could listen to this everyday every second and still not get bored.

I lost my brother in a war. He was a true patriot of Ukraine, he stood for our safety and independence. Hearing this song and watching the clip reminds me of his unachieved dreams of seeing the prosperity and freedom in our land. The war took his life, but never took his soul. I believe he is in a better place than this hellish world…

Those three lines hit hard, the way it immediately points out the meaning of the song.

Its crazy to think that since this song came out in 1980, its 44 years old.

I have a 19 year old brother who plans on joining our countries army. When I first heard this song, my mind immidiately jumped to him, and the thought of him dying in a war. I really doubt this will ever happen, since I don't think Spain, out of all countries, will be in any war soon, but still, the single thought of him being gone made me start to tear up. It almost feels like this song would be what we felt if we learnt he has gone. I love you, bro.

A woman's perspective of losing her son to war. It's as heartbreaking as it is brilliant. Kate had that magnificent feminine spirit in everything she did. She sang to a part of us no one else could. That's why we love her so.

She was 22 when this was released. Impressive

The fact her voice is so flexible like in running up the hill it’s very different

My grandfather was 23 years old in 1949 during the Greek civil war when he was captured in Albania by the communists along with other Greek soldiers. For seven years he was tortured, tried to find a way to escape, experienced Enver Hoxha's dictatorship, almost got killed many times in battles or in some of his escaping tries, lost fellow soldiers with most of them being below 20 years old. His entire family and friends believed he has been dead since 1949 and even prepared him a funeral. In 1956 at 30 years old, after seven years of hell, my grandfather managed to escape and went back to his family and relatives, all being socked and in tears by his return. All his dark memories of war stayed on, but he find the courage to get over them and start a new life. He was a great human being, and became a great husband for his wife, my grandmother, a carrying and strong father for his only son, my father, later a great father-in-law for my mother whom treated like the daughter he always wanted but never had, and a carrying and loving grandfather for me and my brother, his only grandchildren. It was in January of 2022 where died at the tough age of 95 and had his actual funeral, having lived a rough youth and believed to be dead since he was 23 by many. I will never forget you, my beloved grandfather (1926-2022) ❤

everyone talks about the subject matter and lyrics, and while that is important, i think the composition and melody of this track is utterly beautiful and it's what drew me to this song

If you remember this song you are not old You are high quality vintage

I love to hear this song many times❤

When I was training in the Infantry, I listened to this song repeatedly. I didn't think of it so much as anti-war, but a brilliant commentary on the tragedy of war, particularly WWI when that entire generation had no idea what they were getting into; and the sacrifices made for 'stripes and ribbons' War should be the very last option, and the "waste" is never seeing what the kids could have turned into had they been given the chance to live a peaceful life. I have never seen the video until now, and I now have an even greater appreciation for her artistry. Drill Sgt in the background with the sound of the rifle cocking in sync with her blinking... and having kids in camo running around with rifles. Does anyone write and perform with that sort of insight anymore? Compelling and moving.

I use to play this song when I was 16 such a beautiful song, now i’m 28. I’m a black girl from London and I absolutely love this song. Kate Bush is a LEGEND.

This song is so deep and sad but so peaceful at the same times

Makes me think so much

Im so glad that this song aged well, but I'm so devastated that its message is still so relevant. What is it that humankind has against peace?

Looking through these comments and seeing nothing but love for this song, Kate bush and this video. You people are my kind of people.

Been looking for this yassss

I LOVE this.......For many reasons......

She’s a bloody genius. The perfection of the imagery + story + melodic emotion. It blows my mind. I can’t believe she was so young when she wrote this. 🙌

I love this song. My teacher showed this to us in class, but everybody started laughing... It honestly disgusted me. It was as if they didn't get the meaning behind this song. I tried to hold back tears! I think her voice suits this song amazingly well. I love it because of the meaning behind it, the voice, music and just the song as a whole.

(M16A1 used in this video) Glad you cared for details, the M16 was used with M1 pot helmets and woodland camo, primarily in the vietnam war

Beautiful song this woman is pure talent

My father was in the army for 3 years, he made it out alive, this song really fits him. Whenhe was a kid, he wanted to be a rockstar, but he didnt have the money for a guitar, And then he wsnted to become something like a politician, or doctor, idk, and then in his 8th grade, war broke out, he didnt have a proper education, and when he wanted to mske a family, he did make it to hid 29's, im gratefull for him.

To think that this video was made before MTV. When you think of the clips that were around at that time (1981), you realize how much ahead of her time she was.

I can't believe this song is savable, i can listen to it without wifi now :D

this is beautiful.

She just took the concept of the three minute throwaway pop song, ripped the lid off it, turned it inside out, slapped some real meaning into it and threw it back at us. Do you appreciate how amazing this is, from all aspects? I didn't, at the time. More fool me. Now, I think she is one of the greatest talents of the last fifty years. One more album, Kate, please, just one more album.

She has the detail DOWN. The shell shock look, the drill Sargent, an absolute masterpiece

Her voice is everything i can hardly see people talk about her vocals

This song gives me the chills

This song just… brings out the feelings of sorrow, depression, and all negative emotions that come from losing someone to war. And I’ve never even experienced this but it makes me tear up.

Why did it take me so long to discover this work of art?

I love that she is hard blinking like most of the shell-shocked soldiers whom blink like that as a trauma response

The beautiful thing about Kate is that she can sing about any subject related to the human experience and make you believe she has really been there herself. That is the mark of a true artist.

My dad (her oldest son,) joined the navy when he was 18. My grandma (his mom) had just dropped him off at the base. She was crying, because she was sad and this was her first kid. She said she heard a song about a mom sending her son to the army, and he never came back. And she cried even more. She said she never heard that song again. Maybe this was that song. ( this was in the 80’s by the way, and my grandma was a country fan, still is)

I honestly love this song

" but he never even made it to his twenties." always gets me😭😭😭

I came from YT shorts. Sobbing uncontrollably. The part where she rushes to her son and hugs a tree is breaking my heart.