Great American Song Contest

2025 Annual Great American Song Contest
First Place Winner / Lyric Writing category

The Heat of Battle
©2025 Debra Gussin

Verse 1:
G.I. Joe was my favorite toy,
a present from papa when I was a boy.
The brave little soldier that marched on my bed,
had me imagining, ‘bang, bang, you’re dead.’

At breakfast, we’d rally. For lunch, we’d explore.
By dinner, forgot what the fighting was for.
Pretended the game was a dangerous one,
‘cause when you’re a kid, it’s all about fun.

(chorus 1)
Now, we are at war…
where bombs explode,
and bullets assault the broken road.
Grenades attack, there's no turning back.

‘Cause we are at war,
where blood runs cold,
what's left is a shell,
and rebels yell.
In the heat of battle, it's hotter than hell.
The heat of battle is hotter than hell.

(verse 2)
Like my papa, I serve and defend.
I’m deep in the desert, my gun is my friend.
The whites of their eyes are the scariest part,
when fire is flying, I aim for the heart.

The blast of the rockets, the rage and the stink…
I can only imagine what mama would think.
‘Cause now that the game is a dangerous one,
I’m no longer a kid, but I’m still her son.

(chorus 2)
And we are at war…
where bombs explode,
and bullets assault the broken road.
Grenades attack, there's no turning back.

Cause we are at war,
where blood runs cold,
what's left is a shell,
and rebels yell.
In the heat of battle, it's hotter than hell.
The heat of battle is hotter than hell.

(bridge)
They are storming tonight,
melting holes in the sky.
I am ready to fight,
but I’m not ready to die.

They start to descend.
We start to defend.
I'm starting to think that this could be the end.

(verse 3)
Belly burning, I crawl with my men,
and pray for the day when I’m home once again,
so mama can bake me her blueberry pies,
and make me believe I’m the boy in her eyes.

Back at the bunker, it’s hard to be brave.
Some guys didn’t make it, but some I could save.
Now God knows the game is a dangerous one,
so isn’t it time that the fighting is done?

(chorus 3 & 4)
But we are at war…
where bombs explode,
and bullets assault the broken road.
When drones attack, there's no turning back.

'Cause we are at war,
where hope can fade,
where I feel alone,
and so afraid.
In the heat of battle, it's hotter than hell…

We are at war,
where blood runs cold,
What’s left is a shell
of ourselves.

In the heat of battle,
It’s hotter than hell.
The heat of battle
Is hotter than hell.