Dropkick Murphys, ‘Far Away Coast’ – Songs About Soldiers

Told from the perspective of a homesick soldier stuck "in the trenches, the fist of the beast," this acoustic folk ditty from Dropkick Murphys' 1998 debut carries neither a pro- nor antiwar message. The narrator is simply doing his duty, and as much as he'd like to be back home, enjoying the freedoms he might die at any minute for, he's not bitter. Honor and loyalty, of course, are hallmarks of the DKM catalog, whether they're singing about troops or firefighters, fallen buddies or their beloved Boston Red Sox. 'Far Away Coast' arrived when the Dropkicks were still a street-punk group, but it pointed toward the folked-up, Pogues-y style that's made them Scorsese-approved stars.

Listen to the Dropkick Murphys' 'Far Away Coast'