Quote of the day: “Turn on all the triggers
Then sit back and watch
When the death toll rises.
While the blood of young people
It oozes from their bodies
And it’s buried in the mud.”
The context of the quote
This is a lyric from Bob Dylan’s 1963 song “Masters of War” which attacks those who profit from wars while young people die. It was written against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He criticizes the military-industrial complex and calls out those who start wars, often from the safety of their mansions, while young men who are sent to the front lines of a conflict they did not choose are killed.
Nothing has changed since the 1960s
Bob Dylan’s lyrics are just as or even more relevant today, given the current state of the world, with several deadly conflicts going on, including Ukraine and Iran.
Thousands of young Russian soldiers are being killed in Ukraine every day, even four years after Vladimir Putin launched his military operation. Young Ukrainians who took up arms to defend their homeland are also becoming victims of a deadly war that still has no end because leaders cannot agree on a compromise.
The story of Iran’s ongoing internal and regional tensions is often told through numbers: death tolls, inflation rates and geopolitical maneuvers. But Dylan’s words remind us of the human cost—the young people who have become pawns in the conflict.
In January, Iran witnessed the largest public uprising in the country’s history since 1979. But as the world watched in horror, Iran unleashed a brutal crackdown that some estimates may have killed over 30,000 protesters, mostly young men and women, who took to the streets in search of a better future.
Less than a month later, another conflict gripped Iran, this time in the form of an American-Israeli attack, which again is likely to claim many more lives.
Even US President Donald Trump, who announced the launch of attacks on Iran, said on Saturday that US citizens could be killed in the conflict.
How relevant is the quote today
Bob Dylan’s lyrics serve as a “call to conscience” given the current context. It’s a reminder that while wealth and power can build walls, they can’t “buy your soul” or buy forgiveness for lives sacrificed in the name of ideology or profit. The hope remains in the heart of Iran that one day the “masters” will no longer be able to hide and the cubs will no longer be buried in the mud.
