Father – English Lyrics

• By: Sabaton
• Album: Weapons Of The Modern Age

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Sabaton's "Father," a powerful heavy metal song that serves as a captivating history lesson. Through its compelling narrative about Fritz Haber, the 'father of chemical warfare' and modern fertilizers, you can explore complex ethical questions while immersing yourself in the rich vocabulary and thematic depth of English metal lyrics. The song's ominous tone and detailed storytelling make it a unique and thought-provoking way to engage with both history and language.

[English]

A long ago in eastern Prussia

Young men with great ambitions rise

So who can tell me who can say for sure

Which one will win the Nobel Prize?

It was a golden age for science

The kaiserreich would hold the key

And as the conflict came and tensions rose

The manifest of the 93

Haber-Bosch, the great alliance

Where's the contradiction?

Fed the world by ways of science

Sinner or a saint?

Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield

"Perversions of ideals of science"

Lost words of alienated wife

And in the trenches of the western front

Unknowing soldiers pay the price

And on the battlefield they're dying

And on the fields the crops are grown

So who can tell us what is right or wrong

Maths or morality alone?

Haber-Bosch, the great alliance

Where's the contradiction?

Fed the world by ways of science

Sinner or a saint?

Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield

Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield

...

During times when there's peace he belonged to the world

...

During times when there's war he belonged to his place of birth

...

Where, will this lead? What's coming next?

From your inventions?

We wonder where, where does it end?

Who can foresee, see what will be?

Haber-Bosch, the great alliance

Where's the contradiction?

Fed the world by ways of science

Sinner or a saint?

Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield

Father of toxic gas, and chemical warfare

His dark creation has been revealed

Flow over no man's land, a poisonous nightmare

A deadly mist on the battlefield

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rise /raɪz/ A2	verb - to move upwards or upward
ambitions /æmˈbɪʃənz/ B2	noun - desires to achieve something
conflict /ˈkɒnflɪkt/ B2	noun - a serious disagreement or argument verb - to be in opposition
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ B2	verb - to make known or show something previously hidden
creation /kriˈeɪʃən/ B2	noun - the act of bringing something into existence
poisonous /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ B2	adjective - containing poison or toxic substances
battlefield /ˈbætəl fiːld/ C1	noun - a place where a battle occurs
misland /ˈmɪstənt/ C2	noun - a mistaken belief or idea
alliance /əˈlaɪəns/ B2	noun - a union or association formed for mutual benefit
military /ˈmɪlɪtɛri/ B1	adjective - relating to soldiers or war
invention /ɪnˈvɛnʃən/ B2	noun - the act of creating something new
peace /piːs/ A2	noun - freedom from war or conflict

Key Grammar Structures

• A long ago in eastern Prussia

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "A long ago" indicates a specific time in the past.

• So who can tell us what is right or wrong

  ➔ Indirect question

  ➔ The phrase "who can tell us" introduces an indirect question about morality.

• Haber-Bosch, the great alliance

  ➔ Noun phrase

  ➔ The phrase "Haber-Bosch, the great alliance" is a noun phrase that identifies a specific concept.

• Sinner or a saint?

  ➔ Correlative conjunctions

  ➔ The phrase uses the correlative conjunctions "or" to present two contrasting ideas.

• His dark creation has been revealed

  ➔ Present perfect passive

  ➔ The phrase "has been revealed" indicates an action that has occurred at an unspecified time in the past.

• During times when there's peace he belonged to the world

  ➔ Complex sentence

  ➔ The sentence contains a main clause and a subordinate clause, indicating a condition.

• Who can foresee, see what will be?

  ➔ Modal verb

  ➔ The use of the modal verb "can" expresses ability or possibility.