# Meaning of the song "One Tin Soldier" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685 "2004-03-05T13:00:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrSarcasticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MrSarcasticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSarcasticus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/1 "2004-03-05T13:00:48Z")
Lyrics here: [http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/tin.htm](http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/tin.htm) Who wants to explain? Who is the tin man? And how does it relate to Billy Jack? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/2 "2004-03-05T13:56:10Z")
I don’t know what the tin soldier, per se, represents, but the song’s meaning is pretty clear: it’s a standard hippie-dippie, anti-war song. I don’t THINK it relates specifically to Billy Jack. I seem to recall that the band Coven had recorded “One Tin Soldier” some time BEFORE the movie was made (which made it ineligible for an Academy Award, btw). Its message of peace fit neatly with the pacifistic message of the film, so it was added to the soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/3 "2004-03-05T14:47:01Z")
If you like the song you are a tree hugging hippy. If you don’t like the song you are ‘the man’. (not in the good way) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/4 "2004-03-05T15:09:53Z")
Whoa, man…who _is_ the “one tin soldier”? I never really thought about it before. Heavy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/5 "2004-03-05T15:40:37Z")
Verses 1: Mountain city has a “treasure”. 2: Valley demands the treasure and threatens to kill for it. 3: Mountain city agrees to share all the wealth of the mountain. 4: Valley declares war because they want it all, not to share. 5: Genocide of mountain city. 6: Treasure turns out to be a quote from Scripture: “Peace on Earth”. Let he who has ears hear. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/6 "2004-03-05T15:46:34Z")
As for the refrain: Tin soldiers are usually brightly-painted and hollow–just like the victory. ---
**Author:** ![jwhammond74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/53a042/32.png) [@jwhammond74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jwhammond74)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/7 "2011-11-17T20:36:08Z")
I think “One Tin Soldier” refers to the valley people as a whole. In my opinion, a “tin soldier” is one who resorts to violence and war simply because it’s all they know, understand, or enjoy. So, on the bloody morning after, the valley people, being stung by the power of 3 simple words, realized that they had caused bloodshed for no real reason, hopefully heeding that message. In the movie, Billy Jack was trained to “keep the peace” by resorting to warlike tactics. By the end of the movie, he had realized that there were better ways to reach agreements than violence. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/8 "2011-11-17T20:43:15Z")
The "One Tin Soldier is the last remaining human, and now that the zombies themselves are the new dominant culture on the planet, the Tin Soldier is now their boogie-man. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/9 "2011-11-17T20:46:29Z")
Jwhammond74, you probably didn’t notice that the thread you are adding to has not been active for 7 years…no matter. But is your explanation one you just made up (“I think,” “In my opinion”), or do you have some other reliable source? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/10 "2011-11-17T21:06:10Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Jwhammond74, you probably didn’t notice that the thread you are adding to has not been active for 7 years…no matter. But is your explanation one you just made up (“I think,” “In my opinion”), or do you have some other reliable source? It’s a bald restatement of the premise of “I Am Legend” (the novel), actually. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/11 "2011-11-17T21:13:54Z")
We used to sing this every day in music class when I was in about 3rd or 4th grade at a conservative Christian school in Alabama. If I live to be 134 years old I may not remember my name but I’ll probably remember the lyrics to that \*@# song. There were lots of covers of it at the time. Cher did a version on her shows at least twice, once [with cheesy cartoon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg84L84uop8). Anyway, the song is anti-war. The great treasure that they kill for is peace on earth, which the wise enlightened mountain people know is worth dying for and the stupid savage valley people ironically kill for and then don’t appreciate. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/12 "2011-11-18T00:26:40Z")
I’m pretty sure the song means that I’m going to take this right foot of mine and whop you on that side of your face. And you want to know something? There’s not a damn thing you’re going to be able to do about it. ---
**Author:** ![BarefootOkieGal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BarefootOkieGal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarefootOkieGal)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/13 "2011-11-18T00:33:05Z")
> [@MrSarcasticus](#): > > Lyrics here: [http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/tin.htm](http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/tin.htm) > > Who wants to explain? Who is the tin man? And how does it relate to Billy Jack? It’s an old anti-war song from the 60’s - kind of an ironic situation with all these people who die fighting over something that turns out to be a peace message. About the time “Trial of Billy Jack” was released, Guy Chandler did a version of the song called “One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack).” I think the tie-in is that the song speaks of one soldier who survives all the mayhem, while Billy Jack was a survivor of a different type of mayhem. I saw “Trial of Billy Jack” but I don’t think I saw the original “Billy Jack” - and I was only 12 or so at the time, so I don’t remember it very well except that it’s about the government coming in and messing with people who are just trying to live peacefully. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/14 "2011-11-18T00:42:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Jwhammond74, you probably didn’t notice that the thread you are adding to has not been active for 7 years…no matter. But is your explanation one you just made up (“I think,” “In my opinion”), or do you have some other reliable source? **Musicat** , you probably didn’t notice that the hit-and-run poster who resurrected this thread from the dead hasn’t been back since his little one-and-done, and almost certainly won’t be, nor did he care that it was 8 years old (even assuming that he noticed the date in the first place). Not really trying to pick on you, but the percentage of such “resurrectors” who actually decide to stay around and at least lurk here for a spell has to be in the single digits. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/15 "2011-11-18T00:50:56Z")
Since my response was exactly 10 minutes after his first post, it’s kinda hard to tell just how long he might stick around, eh? Although I get your point, I’m not sure why it matters. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/16 "2011-11-18T01:14:22Z")
the mountain people are the dwarf thorin oakenshield’s folk. the valley people are the men of dale (actually lake people.) the real treasure is the symbolic friendship between dwarves and the elves (thranduil returns the sword orcrist to thorin) and men (bard lays the arkenstone on thorin’s chest.) the tin soldier is bilbo baggins leaving for his home the shire. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/17 "2011-11-18T01:41:08Z")
Dude, they killed all the mountain people and found out the treasure was just the words “Peace on Earth”. That’s far out, man! ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/18 "2011-11-18T01:45:04Z")
one king (thorin) dead is equal to an entire people killed. even more ironic is the words “peace on earth” personified into a sleeping dragon. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/19 "2011-11-18T01:50:17Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > **Musicat** , you probably didn’t notice that the hit-and-run poster who resurrected this thread from the dead hasn’t been back since his little one-and-done, and almost certainly won’t be, nor did he care that it was 8 years old (even assuming that he noticed the date in the first place). Not really trying to pick on you, but the percentage of such “resurrectors” who actually decide to stay around and at least lurk here for a spell has to be in the single digits. I think we can blame Google. At least I’m in the mood to. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685/20 "2011-11-18T02:58:16Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I think we can blame Google. At least I’m in the mood to. But… but… Don’t be evil! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-the-song-one-tin-soldier/232685.md?page=2)