Songfacts®:

• Vocalist Geoff Tate discussed this song on Anybody Listening: "This was inspired by a situation that is very prevalent in the military. They have a policy that no soldier is left behind: If somebody is shot down behind enemy lines or in a man-down situation, the military mobilizes to get them to safety. This is a story about a soldier that was shot down behind enemy lines and how a group of volunteers went in to rescue him. It's told from the perspective of the soldier who was shot down and injured and the soldier who volunteered to go in and get him. Last year on our American tour we had a contest to win a chance to sing on our record and a gentleman named Vince Solano won and sings the part of the rescuer. The story is set in the Middle East, so we gave the music that feel with Middle Eastern modes and Arabian scales."
• This song is an examination of the consequences of war through a specific soldier's experience, which is characteristic of Geoff Tate's songwriting. The singer prefers to draw inspiration from life and true experiences while probing at the deeper truths and ideas suggested by them.