Soldiers Under Command

Album: Soldiers Under Command (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track to Stryper's second album, the song is about fighting for God. "His two-edged sword" is Christian-speak for the Bible, which lead singer Michael Sweet encourages listeners to use as they move forward to spread the word of God.
  • Even after Stryper had a mainstream hit with "Honestly," "Soldiers Under Command" remained a fan favorite and got a great reaction a concerts. The band started out making more secular music, but had a change of heart and decided their calling was to praise God in their music. Michael Sweet, who wrote this song, told Songfacts: "We continued playing the style of music that we played, but we re-wrote the words and delivered the message with it, put the Isaiah 53:5 so the stripes signified something, they meant something, throwing out the word of God at every show. And that's just the power of God changing lives."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.