A raw, politically charged folk song that takes aim at the normalization of war and violence in modern society. With biting sarcasm and pointed references to figures like Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, and Tom Hanks, Welles critiques the way leaders, media, and even pop culture sanitize or justify mass destruction. The lyrics juxtapose the horror of war with dismissive slogans and imagery, exposing the absurdity of treating organized violence as anything less than murder. Blending protest tradition with sharp wit, the song challenges listeners to confront both the human cost of conflict and the cultural narratives that make it seem acceptable.
War Isn’t Murder
Appears on: Hells Welles, Under The Powerlines, Jesse Welles Live From San Francisco
Lyrics
War isn’t murder, good men don’t die
Children don’t starve and all the women survive
“War isn’t murder, ” that’s what they say
When you’re fighting the Devil, murder’s okay
War isn’t murder, they’re called casualties
There ain’t a veteran with a good night’s sleep
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves
Call your dead mother, ask her when she died
It’s a deathly silence on the other line
The dead don’t talk, but the children don’t forget
So in 20 short years, you could live to regret that
War isn’t murder, there’s money at stake
Girl, even Kushner agrees it’s good real estate
War isn’t murder, ask Netanyahu
He’s got a song for that and a bomb for you
War isn’t murder, it’s an old desert faith
It’s a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hate
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
War isn’t murder, it’s the vengeance of God
If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot
And the flies don’t swarm, and the children don’t cry
If war isn’t murder, good men don’t die
So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip
Don’t think about the dead and have a nice trip
War isn’t murder, we should all give thanks
I saw it all in a movie, give it up for Tom Hanks
War isn’t murder, they don’t ship out the poor
And the bullets they fire aren’t part of the cure
War isn’t murder, land is a right
But the banks called dibs, it’s something you can’t fight
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves
War isn’t murder, ain’t a river of blood
Stretching all-through time and raining down in a flood
It’s a dark sacrifice, made on your behalf
So get down on your knees and thank the sweet Lord that
War isn’t murder
Children don’t starve and all the women survive
“War isn’t murder, ” that’s what they say
When you’re fighting the Devil, murder’s okay
War isn’t murder, they’re called casualties
There ain’t a veteran with a good night’s sleep
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves
Call your dead mother, ask her when she died
It’s a deathly silence on the other line
The dead don’t talk, but the children don’t forget
So in 20 short years, you could live to regret that
War isn’t murder, there’s money at stake
Girl, even Kushner agrees it’s good real estate
War isn’t murder, ask Netanyahu
He’s got a song for that and a bomb for you
War isn’t murder, it’s an old desert faith
It’s a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hate
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
War isn’t murder, it’s the vengeance of God
If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot
And the flies don’t swarm, and the children don’t cry
If war isn’t murder, good men don’t die
So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip
Don’t think about the dead and have a nice trip
War isn’t murder, we should all give thanks
I saw it all in a movie, give it up for Tom Hanks
War isn’t murder, they don’t ship out the poor
And the bullets they fire aren’t part of the cure
War isn’t murder, land is a right
But the banks called dibs, it’s something you can’t fight
Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves
War isn’t murder, ain’t a river of blood
Stretching all-through time and raining down in a flood
It’s a dark sacrifice, made on your behalf
So get down on your knees and thank the sweet Lord that
War isn’t murder
Annotations and Notes on Lyrics
Jared Kushner – Businessman and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States. He is a son-in-law of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, through his marriage to Ivanka Trump and served as a senior advisor in his father-in-law’s first administration from 2017 to 2021. Jared Kushner says Gaza’s ‘waterfront property could be very valuable’.
Benjamin Netanyahu – An Israeli politician and diplomat who has long-served as Prime Minister of Israel (on and off since the 1990s). Netanyahu represents the archetype of a leader who defends and even normalizes war, and actually did sing a song as a prayer for Israel Defense Forces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6P2IHfi8Jc)
The Strip – Reference to the Gaza Strip, a densely populated, conflict-ridden area at the center of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Also secondary reference to Las Vegas or other beach resorts referred to as The Strip. Trump has floated the idea of transforming Gaza into a luxury seaside resort “a Riviera of the Middle East,” suggesting that the U.S. could “take over” the Gaza Strip, “own it.” He described it as a “demolition site” and proposed it would be “leveled out, and fixed up,” and the U.S. could redevelop it, describing it as a “big real estate site.”
Tom Hanks – Tom Hanks is one of the most recognizable actors associated with war films and series that dramatize U.S. military history: Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. We’re asked to “give thanks” not only to soldiers but also to the cinematic narratives that sanitize or glorify war. “I saw it all in a movie” reflects how many people’s understanding of war is filtered through Hollywood dramatization, where violence becomes entertainment and moral clarity is neatly packaged. By singling out Tom Hanks — a universally beloved figure, associated with decency, empathy, and Americana — the song highlights the dissonance: the same medium that tries to humanize war also risks making it palatable, even noble, and thus easier to accept. The underlying critique is that movies soften the horror of war and romanticize killing.
Benjamin Netanyahu – An Israeli politician and diplomat who has long-served as Prime Minister of Israel (on and off since the 1990s). Netanyahu represents the archetype of a leader who defends and even normalizes war, and actually did sing a song as a prayer for Israel Defense Forces (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6P2IHfi8Jc)
The Strip – Reference to the Gaza Strip, a densely populated, conflict-ridden area at the center of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Also secondary reference to Las Vegas or other beach resorts referred to as The Strip. Trump has floated the idea of transforming Gaza into a luxury seaside resort “a Riviera of the Middle East,” suggesting that the U.S. could “take over” the Gaza Strip, “own it.” He described it as a “demolition site” and proposed it would be “leveled out, and fixed up,” and the U.S. could redevelop it, describing it as a “big real estate site.”
Tom Hanks – Tom Hanks is one of the most recognizable actors associated with war films and series that dramatize U.S. military history: Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. We’re asked to “give thanks” not only to soldiers but also to the cinematic narratives that sanitize or glorify war. “I saw it all in a movie” reflects how many people’s understanding of war is filtered through Hollywood dramatization, where violence becomes entertainment and moral clarity is neatly packaged. By singling out Tom Hanks — a universally beloved figure, associated with decency, empathy, and Americana — the song highlights the dissonance: the same medium that tries to humanize war also risks making it palatable, even noble, and thus easier to accept. The underlying critique is that movies soften the horror of war and romanticize killing.
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