Lyrics of Fields of Verdun by Sabaton
As the drum roll started on that day
Heard a hundred miles away
A million shells were fired
And the green fields turned to grey
The bombardment lasted all day long
Yet the forts were standing strong
Heavily defended
Now the trap’s been sprung and the battle has begun
Descend into darkness
303 days below the sun
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one under the gun
Thy will be done (thy will be done), and the judgement has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one, fields of Verdun
Though a million shells have scarred the land
No one has the upper hand
From the ground above to trenches
Where the soldiers make their stand
As the trenches slowly turn to mud
And then quickly start to flood
Death awaits in every corner
As they die in the mud, fill the trenches with blood
Descend into darkness
303 days below the sun
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one under the gun
Thy will be done (thy will be done), and the judgement has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one, fields of Verdun
Fields of execution turned to wasteland from the grass
Thou shalt go no further it was said, “They shall not pass!”
The spirit of resistance and the madness of the war
So go ahead, face the lead, join the dead
Though you die where you lie, never asking why
Descend into darkness
303 days below the sun
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one under the gun
Thy will be done (thy will be done), and the judgement has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one, fields of Verdun
Historical Background
In short: The song is about the Battle of Verdun in World War I.
Fields of Verdun – The Meat Grinder of World War I
Some battles win wars. Others become nightmares that never end.
Sabaton’s Fields of Verdun isn’t just a song about war—it’s about one of the bloodiest and longest battles in history. The Battle of Verdun (1916) was hell on Earth, lasting 303 days and claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.
This wasn’t about territory. It was about survival.
February 21, 1916 – The Storm Begins
“As the drum roll started on that day, heard a hundred miles away. A million shells were fired, and the green fields turned to grey.”
On February 21, 1916, the German army launched an all-out assault on Verdun, a fortified French city. Their plan, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, wasn’t just to take Verdun—it was to bleed France dry.
They bombarded French positions with over one million shells, turning the battlefield into a wasteland of craters, smoke, and fire.
“The bombardment lasted all day long, yet the forts were standing strong.”
Verdun’s forts and defenders refused to break—but the worst was yet to come.
The Hell of Trench Warfare
“Though a million shells have scarred the land, no one has the upper hand. From the ground above to trenches, where the soldiers make their stand.”
The Battle of Verdun became a war of attrition—not about victory, but about who could endure the most suffering.
- Men drowned in mud, suffocated by poison gas, and were cut down by machine guns.
- Entire forests were wiped out, villages erased, and the land became unrecognizable.
- Bodies piled up so fast that the trenches were filled with blood.
“As the trenches slowly turn to mud, and then quickly start to flood. Death awaits in every corner, as they die in the mud, fill the trenches with blood.”
French General Philippe Pétain rallied his troops with one simple phrase:
“Ils ne passeront pas!” (“They shall not pass!”)
And they didn’t.
303 Days of Death – The Cost of Verdun
“Descend into darkness, 303 days below the sun.”
The battle raged from February to December 1916.
- France lost over 377,000 men.
- Germany lost over 337,000 men.
- Over 700,000 casualties for a battlefield only a few miles wide.
No side truly won. The frontlines barely moved, but France held Verdun—and that alone was a symbolic victory.
“Fields of execution turned to wasteland from the grass. Thou shalt go no further, it was said, ‘They shall not pass!'”
Why Fields of Verdun Still Matters
“The spirit of resistance and the madness of the war.”
Verdun was more than a battle—it was a symbol of French resilience and German brutality.
- It showed the horrors of modern warfare, where men were thrown into the meat grinder for almost nothing.
- It proved that national pride could push men to endure unimaginable suffering.
- It left scars that never healed—even today, Verdun’s fields are still littered with unexploded shells and the remains of fallen soldiers.
The Lesson?
Some battles aren’t about victory.
They’re about who can endure hell the longest.
And at Verdun?
Nobody truly won.
