Universal soldier
View chords used in this chart
E F# B G#m
He's five foot two and he's six feet four
E F# B
He fights with missiles and with spears
E F# B G#m
He's all of thirty-one and he's only seventeen
C#m F#
He's been a soldier for a thousand years
E F# B G#m
He's a catholic, a hindu, an atheist, a jain,
E F# B
A buddhist and a baptist and a jew
E F#
And he knows he shouldn't kill
B G#m
And he knows he always will
C#m F#
Kill you for me, my friend and me for you
E F# B G#m
And he's fighting for Canada, he's fighting for France
E F# B B7
He's fighting for the U.S.A.
E F# B G#m
He's fighting for the Russians and he's fighting for Japan
C#m F#
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way
E F# B G#m
And he's fighting for democracy, he's fighting for the reds
E F# B B7
He says it's for the peace of all
E F# B G#m
He's the one who must decide who's to live and who's to die
C#m F#
And he never sees the writing on the wall
E F# B G#m
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau
E F# B B7
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
E F# B G#m
He's the one who gives his body as a weapon of the war
C#m F#
And without him all this killing can't go on
E F# B G#m
He's the universal soldier and he really is to blame
E F# B
His orders come from far away no more
E C#m
They come from here and there and you and me
B G#m
And brothers can't you see
C#m
This is not the way we put the end to war
How to play Universal soldier
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is E. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.