Kate sings from the perspective of a mother whose son has just been killed in a war. He joined the Army because he didn't know what else to do with his life, and became just another casualty. It's a very depressing and effective anti-war song.
Although Kate adopted an Irish accent for the song, it wasn't specifically about the then-ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland. That's why she referenced the BFPO (British Forces Post Office) in the lyrics – "to try and broaden it away from Ireland." She told Zigzag magazine in 1980: "The Irish accent was important because the treatment of the song is very traditional, and the Irish would always use their songs to tell stories, it's the traditional way. There's something about an Irish accent that's very vulnerable, very poetic, and so by singing it in an Irish accent it comes across in a different way. But the song was meant to cover areas like Germany, especially with the kids that get killed in maneuvres, not even in action. It doesn't get brought out much, but it happens a lot. I'm not slagging off the Army, it's just so sad that there are kids who have no O-levels and nothing to do but become soldiers, and it's not really what they want. That's what frightens me."
The music video opens on a close-up of the singer's face as she blinks in synchronization with the sounds of a gun cocking. As the camera pulls back, we see she's wearing camouflage and holding a little boy in her lap. Throughout the clip, she tries to reach the child as a battle wages around her.
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