The Literal Meaning of “M.I.”
in the first stanza. T he word “you” refers to the enemy forces he fights. Further, the
second line means that the enemy forces need to be more violent and brutal in order to challenge the main character’s physical and psychological strengths.
The third line reveals that the main character’s side invades other country.
However, the objective is not to colonize to country, but it has other purpose. The words “I walk your land” give a direct meaning that the main character is in other
people’s land or country. While, the words “but don’t belong” suggest that his objective is not to own the country or colonize the country. It means that the
invasion is not for economic reason, but there is a hidden agenda behind that. There is a clue in the eighth stanza. However, it could not help to reveal the hidden agenda.
Since the song focuses on one particular person, the researcher thinks that Matt Shadows does not write that matter on purpose. The proof that the hidden agenda
is unimportant for the main character is written on the fourth line which becomes the last line for this stanza.
It says, “Two million soldiers can’t be wrong”. It means that the main charact
er’s side deploys a massive military forces to invade a country. Then, the main character thinks that it should be for a good reason to deploy so
many soldiers on a single invasion. Here, the courage of the main character can be seen fro
m the fourth stanza which states that “two million” soldiers are deployed together with him. Furthermore, the words “can’t be wrong” explain that the main
character has his courage because he fights along with many soldiers on his side.
The Third Stanza
It’s no fun but I’ve been here before I’m far from home and I’m fighting your war
Not the way I pictured this, I wanted better things
Some are scared, others killing for fun I shot a mother right in front of her son
Take this from my consciousness and please erase my dreams
The third stanza is classified as sestet since it consists of six lines. This stanza tells about the
main character’s thought about the war. The first line says “It’s no fun but I’ve been here before”. “It’s no fun” means that the main character
sees the war as a part of his job being a soldier. This line also reveals that the main character has already experienced war
. It is depicted in the words “I’ve been here be
fore” in which, the use of word “here” refers to the war. The fact that the main character has already tasted a war giving clearer understanding about the second
line of the second stanza. Hence, it can be said that the main character is an experienced soldier. On the other side, he is not a war-addict who sees a war as a
game to play and enjoy the killing. It means that the main character serves the war due to conscription policy applied in the United States. Moreover, the main
character thinks that the war is unnecessary, but he should obey the higher order. T
his explains the words “I’m fighting your war” which are written in the second line. While
, the words “I’m far from home” lead to an imagination that the main character fights in a war located in a country far away from his country. This line
also reveals that the main character has courage which can be seen from he fights in the war that do not belong to his. Therefore, the main character probably fights
in other country’s war. This idea is strengthened by the third line of the second stanza, “I walk your land but don’t belong”.
As the previous lines reveal that the main character has already served in the war, the third line depicts the internal conflict of the main character towards the
current war. The main character imagines that the current war is similar to his previous war. Therefore, it leads to an imagination that the main character fights for
a good purpose. However, he faces the different situation in the current war as written
“not the way I pictured this”. In other words, the current war is against his conscience. The words also give another clue about his bad feelings in the first
stanza. Further, he also wants to make things better by joining the war as written “I
wanted bet ter things”.
The next line portrays about the soldiers who involved in the war. Matt Sanders
symbolizes them into two groups as “scared” and “killing for fun”. The “scared” ones are those who are not ready to see the reality of the war. They are
fresh soldiers who have no experience in combat. While , the “killing for fun”
symbolizes those who are easy with their guns, see the war as a game, and maniacs. In short, the “killing for fun” sides are war addicts. Even though the main character
is a veteran who already tasted war, it does not make him kill people easily. Thus, the researcher
classifies him into the “scared” one. It can be seen from how the main character sees the war which is an obligation since he is a conscript.
However, this stanza also tells that the main character does something wrong. To be precise, it is mentioned in fifth line, “I shot a mother right in front of
her son”. The researcher sees this action as cruel and unforgiven. Killing a mother right in front of her son may cause trauma to the son even though, there are
possibilities that drive the main character to kill a woman. The first possibility is that the mother carries a weapon that may put the soldiers into danger. The second
possibility is that the main character has some psychological disorders due to the
brutal war he faces. The researcher looks upon the sixth line to discover the reason behind the main character’s action. It says “take this from my consciousness and
please erase my dreams”. It shows that the main character is completely on his sanity when he kills the woman. He does not want to be haunted by the images
when he kills the woman because he knows that he has done something wrong. Thus, it is revealed that the main character kills the woman because she may cause
harm to the soldier and he should kill her before she does any harm. The researcher sees this action of killing woman in front of her son as an act of courage portrayed
by the main character.
The Fourth Stanza
Fight for honor, fight for your life Pray to God that our side is right
Although we won, I still may lose Until I make it home to you
I see our mothers filled with tears, Grew up so fast where did those years go?
Memories won’t let you cry U
nless I don’t return tonight The fourth stanza is
the refrain of “M.I.A.”. It is also the longest stanza in the song which consists of eight lines. Thus, it is an octave. It tells about the reason
of the main character to fight in the war. The researcher sees the reason as the reason to fight as a soldier and as an individual human being. The first reason is honor
which is defined by the main character as a soldier. The main character fights along with other brave soldiers who may lose their lives in the war. Therefore, he does
not want to be the one who is afraid of killing or being killed. The second reason is life. Here, the main character fights to survive the war and return to his country
alive. Those reasons are written in the first line, “Fight for honor, fight for your
life”. Further, the main character sees that fighting for his honor and life is not enough. Therefore, he prays to the God to show that he fights for the right thing as
seen in the second line. This stanza also reveals the definition of victory by the main character. He defines it as returning to his family alive, not only by winning the
battle. This idea can be seen from the third and fourth line, “Although we won, I
still may loseUntil I make it home to you”. After he defines that he should return to his country alive to win the war,
the main character sees the image of those he left for war. It is depicted in the fifth line, “I see our mother filled with tears”. This line also reveals that mothers let their
sons go to war without knowing if their sons return home alive or dead. The words “our mothers” reveal that the main character probably shares this image to other
soldiers. He also shares that the time flies so fast so that he cannot remember every precious moment he spent with his family as written in the sixth line,
“Grew up so f
ast where did those years go?”. Moreover, the main character does not want his loved ones, especially his mother to cry because of the memories of the moments
they spent together as seen in the seventh line, “Memories won’t let you cry”. Despite all the possibilities that the main character can be killed in action, he shows
that he is strong by trying to calm his loved ones. In other words, this line also shows the main character’s courage as an ordinary person, not a soldier. However,
the main character stays realistic that he may be killed in the war as written in the eighth line, “Unless I don’t return tonight”.
The Fifth Stanza
So many soldiers on the other side, I take their lives so they can’t take mine
Scared to make it out alive now, murder ’s all I know
Nobody tells me all the reasons we’re here I have my weapon so there’s nothing to fear
Another day, another life, but nothing real to show for
The fifth stanza has a similar structure to the third stanza. It consists of sixth stanza in which two lines are written in parentheses. It portrays the main character
in killing his enemies. Here, the main character faces a large number of enemies. It is shown in the first line, “So many soldiers on the other side”. The words “other
side” clearly mean enemy forces. Then, the second line reveals that the main character kills the enemy in order to stay alive. It says “I take their lives so they
can’t take mine”. The first two lines of the fifth stanza show another act of courage done by the main character. However, the main character is scared despite all the
killing he did as depicted in the third line, “Scared to make it out alive now, murder’s all I know”. Here, the main character is afraid of being killed by the
enemy, but he wants to come home alive as revealed in the fifth stanza. Thus, the only way to be able to come home alive is that killing the enemies he confronts.
Speaking of the background of the war, the main character thinks that he should know the whole reasons why he is deployed in the war that may take his life.
This is written in the fourth line, “Nobody tells me all the reasons we’re here”. Later, the reasons become unimportant since the main character fights for his own
life. The only thing that matters to the main character now is the weapon which he carries to keep him alive as written in the fifth stanza, “I have my weapon so there’s
nothing to fear”. Further, by having a weapon, the main character has nothing to be afraid of, even death. The main character has the tool to keep him away from the
enemy soldiers who may kill him. However, the researcher sees that the main
character does not want to be remembered as a killer. Specifically, he does not want to be remembered that way in “another life” which is written in the last line. Another
life means the main character’s life as a civilian in his country. Then, “Another day” means the day when he lives after the war. “But nothing real to show for” suggests
the whole story of the war he serves which includes the killing he did. It shows that the main character’s courage has bad consequences. It leads to an idea that the main
character only wants to be remembered as a brave and courageous soldier.
The Sixth Stanza
Fight for honor, fight for your life Pray to God that our side is right
Although we won, I still may lose Until I make it home to you
I see our mothers filled with tears, Grew up so fast where did those years go?
Memories won’t let you cry U
nless I don’t return tonight The sixth stanza repeats what happens in the fourth stanza. It shows that the
main character fights for his honor as a soldier. He fights together with his fellow teammates in the war. It means that they fight to keep their teammates alive while
achieving their mission objectives. The main character has pride that he should do the same as his teammates. Besides, the main character fights for his life in order to
return to his home alive and reunite with his loved ones. In short, the stanza repetition which is shown in the sixth stanza strengthens the idea that the main
character fights for his honor and his life. His family becomes the source of his courage to stay alive in the cruel war.
The Seventh Stanza
Staring at the carnage, praying that the sun would never rise
Living another day in disguise These feelings can’t be right,
Lend me your courage to stand up and fight
The seventh stanza is similar to the first stanza, except the words “tonight” and “stand up and fight” in the last line. Unlike the first stanza which consists of
six lines, the seventh stanza consists of four lines which is called quatrain. It presents the main character’s thought about the war. It seems that he is tired about
killing business and wishes he does no more killing. However, he is still in the middle of the war. Thus, the act of killing cannot be avoided and he knows that.
Once again, the feelings that bother the main character emerge in his mind, but there is no clear explanation about what kind of feelings that bother him. Instead of being
stuck with the unpleasant feelings, he continues to fight. At this point, the main character still has his courage and asks for more. Thus, the sense of courage is still
presented in this stanza.
The Eighth Stanza
Watching the death toll ri se, wondering how I’m alive
Strangers blood on my hand, shot all I can There were no silent nights watching your brothers all die
To destroy all their plans with no thought of me No thought of me
No thought of me
This stanza consists of six lines which can be called as sestet. It presents an event or a single battle that is faced by the main character. Here, the battle is shown
as brutal and bloody fight. It is referred from the use of the phrase “Watching the
deat h toll rise” in the first line. This phrase clearly depicts that the war takes
casualties from the main character’s side as well as the enemy side. Further, the first line also shows that the main character questions why he is still alive. The answer
lies on the seventh stanza; he asks for courage as shown in the last line. This courage makes him able to kill the enemy soldiers. The act of killing can be seen from the
second line, “Strangers blood on my hand, shot all I can”. This line also shows the main c
haracter as a killer. It is strengthened by the phrase “shot all I can”. It means that the main character kills every enemy soldier he can see. Moreover, there is no
statement that indicates regret felt by the main character for killing other human being.
As stated earlier that the battle takes casualties from both sides, the third line shows that the main character loses his teammates in the firefight. His
teammates, are referred by the word “brothers”. As the word “brother” is commonly associated to a family member, it seems that there is an emotional bond between
the main character and his fellow teammates. The researcher thinks that this bond is acquired from the good and the bad things experienced together. Further, as the
third line shows that his “brothers” are died, the main character seems not affected
by this condition. Normally, people mourn for their loved ones who died, but not with the main character in “M.I.A.”. He does not have time for mourning as “There
were no silent nights watching you r brothers all die”. Instead of mourning for his
“brothers”, the main character focuses on what makes him fight in the war. The fourth line reveals the purpose of the main character in the war. It is
“To destroy all their plans”. It means that the main character has purpose to destroy the enemy’s
plans to prevent something bad. Unfortunately, there is no further explanation about what kind of plans that the main character should deny. Destroying those plans may
cost his life, but as a courageous soldier, his purpose in the war comes first no matter
if it tak es his life. This can be seen in “To destroy all their plans with no thought of
me”. The repeated lines “No thought of me” strengthen the idea that the main character puts the mission objective above his own life. Looking at the actions done
by the main character, the sense of courage is still strong in this stanza.
The Ninth Stanza
I walk the city lonely Memories that haunt are passing by
A murderer walks your streets tonight Forgive me for my crimes, don’t forget that I was so young
Fought so scared in the name of God and country
This stanza consists of five lines. Thus, it is a quintet. It shows the aftermath of the war in the matter of a particular subject, the main character of “M.I.A.”. It
begins with “I walk the city lonely”. It is clear that the main character feels lonely
because his “brothers” were killed in the battlefield. He does not have his “brothers” to drink and share stories about the war they went through together. The worse thing
occurs i n the second line written “Memories that haunt are passing by”. To reveal
what memories that the main character recalls, the researcher reads the lyrics from the beginning. Then, the researcher marks the related lines that matter to the main
character. Further, the researcher looks the usage of the word “haunt”. The word
haunt is commonly associated with terrible and scary things. Therefore, the researcher looks for the scary and terrible things written in the lyrics and involving
the main character. The researcher reveals that he recalls the memories of the mother he shot in front of her child, soldiers that he killed, a firefight which nearly
killed him, and he saw most of his squad killed.
Those memories the main character recalls also have impact in his mind. They make the main character realizes that he is a murderer as written in the third
line, “a murderer walks your streets tonight”. The main character does not feel as a hero who has come back from the war. Instead, he feels nothing more than a
murderer who killed a mother in front of her son. The label “murderer” comes not only for the men he had killed, but also the public judgement who disagrees that the
country deploys armed forces in other’s war. While the first three lines tell about the effects of the war to the main
character, the last two lines tell about the main character who asks for forgiveness and justifies his choice to be a soldier. It is cl
early seen in the fourth line “Forgive me for my crimes, don’t forget that I was so young”. The main character wants the
label “murderer” to be taken away from him. The words “I was so young” show that he fights in the war when he
is so young. Besides, the word “young” also means that his emotion is not mature enough. Moreover, the main character tries to justify
that he is fighting for the right things as written in the last line, “Fought so scared in the name of God and country”.
Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that the song “M.I.A.”
tells a story of a soldier who serves in the war. The soldier is depicted as a courageous soldier who overcomes his fear in order to make his way home. His fear
of killing people is suppressed by his courage and sheer will to stay alive. The sense of courage can be seen through the acts of the main character explained. Moreover,
each stanza provides the acts of courage done by the main character. Therefore, the
literal meaning of “M.I.A.” is the courage of a soldier who fights in a fierce war to
make his way home through the acts of killing.