Obviously "Tommy " means soldier so better to show "soldier" than spell Tommy because Tommy is the name of a boy and we hate spelling in songs. "Soldier is shown as holding rifle by its muzzle as in parade. One fist over the other fist both clamped to the chest like this.
The funniest thing about this song is the sign for (army) "tank." It's a rude flip of the bird, but placed face down on the other palm and moved around forward and back and forth like a tank moves, and you'll be amazed how much that really does look like a tank. You have to do that fast.
I wish "bomb" was like the cartoon plunger on a box + explosion pantomime, but it's simpler than that. Bomb is a disappointing sign. It can be exaggerated and large or it can be tight and contained.
Gun is like two finger double barrel cowboy and indians, pow pow, handguns.
So there is the key phrase that is repeated:
"With their tanks and their bombs
and their bombs and their guns.
You have to say "bomb" twice fairly quickly.
In your head in you're head they are crying."
Then on repeat "in your head they are dying. "
This "In your head" is a refrain that is repeated emphatically. It's a tap-tap motion at the head, the head tapped at the top then tapped at the jaw to show the area between taps. It's a downward motion made to coincide with the strained word in the song that inflects upward, so, you can make your "head" motions look like the singer sounds by adapting it to a downward then upward motion.
What? I've been doing it backwards for 45 years. The other main dictionary agrees. There goes my whole way of showing it. There seems to be a difference of opinion. Some are saying "mind." "think." Other dictionaries do it as I do. Spread the Sign does it like I do. Oh well, the vocal inflection can still be copied with the hand making the sign no matter which direction you decide to show "head." And whoever sees you will wonder, "why did he do that?" and then they'll go, "oh, the singer did that."
"Violence" is very much like "bomb" nearly indistinguishable depending on the handwriting. It starts with two middle finger "O" configurations with the thumbs that causes the other fingers to stick out. You flick it all out for explosive violence.
"Fighting" is put up your dukes and punch like a boxer, fist over fist cycling with a mean facial grimace.
"Mistake" is a cool sign no matter how you do it. For me it's one of the "V" fingers tapped to the forehead and flipped to the other finger tapping the same spot. It's also a Y at the chin cranked to the side. "Wrong" is the same thing except no cranking. Just a "Y" to the chin.
The rest of the signs are all beginner signs.
Head hangs lowly. Pantomime that
Child is slowly taken. Child, slow, scooped up.
violence causes the silence. Make silent
"who" is a thumb at the chin with index finger circling the mouth. It's a very cool easily identified sign.
It's not me, it's not my family. "Family" is in the system of signs for "group" It's two "f" hand configurations forming a circle around an imaginary family. There's a whole bunch of signs made like this, "class," "group," "society" for example.
"Theme" is shown as quotation marks. "1916" gives you a chance to show your mad numbers skills. A "9" formed facing yourself and flicked outward followed by a "6"formed facing yourself and flicked outward. Many people go snap snap with a nine then snap snap with a six, the flicks or the snaps designating teen numbers as opposed to straightforward un-flicked or un-snapped plain numbers.
Finally, "zombie" is shown as a dancer in a Michael Jackson Thriller video. It's the arm movement of zombies walking and saying "b-r-a--a-a-a-i-n-z" Head tilted with dazed facial expression. This guy is funny. He's saying 2 ways, spell or act it out.
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