List of anti-war songs
Wikimedia list of songs
Some anti-war songs lament aspects of wars, while others patronize war. Most promote peace in some form, while others sing out against specific armed conflicts. Still others depict the physical and psychological destruction that warfare causes to soldiers, innocent civilians, and humanity as a whole. Many of these songs are considered protest songs, and some have been embraced by war-weary people, various peace movements, and peace activists.
General pacifist and anti-war songs
Thirty Years War
American Civil War
American Indian Wars
World War I
Spanish Civil War
World War II
Cold War and nuclear arms race
Vietnam War
Dominican Civil War
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Sino-Vietnamese War
Soviet-Afghan War
Iran-Iraq War
The Troubles of Northern Ireland
Falklands War
Contras, Latin America
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Yugoslav Wars
Gulf Wars, Iraq, 9/11, and the war on terror
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Anti-draft
Traditional music
Apart from the various genres of modern music, some traditional and contemporary folk songs reflect the futile efforts of war and the attitudes of objectors prior to the major wars of the 20th century. Some of these include:
"Ain't Gonna Study War No More" also known as "Down by the Riverside", has a similar tune to "Hand Me Down, My Walking Cane," – African-American traditional anti-war song recorded by The Weavers and many others.
"Arthur McBride" – While first curated in the 19th century, this song likely came into existence during the 17th century in response to the War of the Grand Alliance, or especially the Williamite War in Ireland, after which the Irish Jacobite army was sent to France as agreed in the Treaty of Limerick on October 3, 1691.
"The Cruel War" – Made famous in its current form by Pete Seeger and Peter Paul and Mary, this anti-war song has roots at least as far back as the American Civil War, and can probably be traced to an older English song.
"Ich bin Soldat, doch bin ich es nicht gerne" de – German song popular during the Franco-Prussian War, tells of the futility of being a soldier, and ends with a call for reconciliation between nations and the overthrow of tyrants.
"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" – Irish traditional anti-war and anti-recruiting song that was the basis for the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and recorded as "Fighting for Strangers" by Steeleye Span.
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