"The songs aren't for the radio or commercial market anyway. So there's no point in trying to squeeze the song into some artificial and arbitrary constraints."

God I love that quote from you. I struggle with this all the time and it is so refreshing to hear someone offer up this point of view.

As for the merit of the song, this is definitely another extremely powerful and expertly written ballad from you. The pictures take the song to an even deeper level and of all the artists that present their material with pictures on this site no one does it better.

I personally like the stark quality of the arrangement and believe that it provides the lyric with just the right atmosphere. The lyric itself is incredible and I don't think think you've ever been better. It's amazing structure and insightful and unique phrasings make it powerful with or without music. I loved the title as it conveys it's point immediately and emphatically.

Too many good lines to mention them all. I loved the second verse and it's sensational image of ghosts leaving the battlefield but I believe my personal favorite lines are:

Justice mixed in the blood of revenge
Weighed on the scale against the dead
The prarieland is vast and cold
No one knows the secrets it holds

You are an amazing writer Dan and I love the way that you perpetually use your talents to illuminate a cause that you are passionate about. Not much wasted content in your material. I have a lot of respect for what you do and this song is a shining example of what makes you special. Very nicely done.