Music, especially with lyrics, has long accompanied wars, from those fought by the smallest
societies to those of the most complex. One need only look at the multitude of warrior chants,
marches, hymns, singsongs, airs, ditties, and jingles related to warfare that have been
produced throughout time. Many of these songs share a communitarian aim: tying the
soldiers’ or warriors’ social and even personal identities to that of the group or the unit,
fomenting camaraderie as well as heroism and self-sacrifice. The elements most conducive to
such feelings are invoked in the lyrics with references to the patria or homeland; groups of
membership or kinship such as family, lineages, or clans; as well as the common religion, the
countryside; and of course, the great modern monster, the nation.
