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John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore |
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His mama sure was proud of him |
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He stood so straight and tall in his uniform and all |
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His mama's face broke out into a grin |
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"Oh, son, you look so fine, I'm glad you're a son of mine |
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Make me proud to know you own a gun |
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Do what the captain says, lot of medals you will get |
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We'll put them on the wall when you get home" |
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That old train pulled out, John's ma began to shout |
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Tellin' ev'ryone in the neighborhood |
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"That's my son that's about to go, he's a soldier now, you know" |
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She made well sure her neighbors understood |
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She got a letter once in a while, her face broke into a smile |
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She showed them to the people from next door |
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They bragged about her son with his uniform and gun |
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And these things you called a good old fashioned war |
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Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come |
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Ceased to come for about ten months or more |
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Then when letter finally came saying, "Go down and meet the train |
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Your son is coming back from the war" |
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She smiled and she went right down, she looked up and all around |
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She did not see her soldier son in sight |
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When all the people passed, she saw her son at last |
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When she did she could not believe her eyes |
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Oh, his face was all shot up and his hand were blown away |
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And he wore a metal brace around his waist |
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He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she didn't know |
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And she couldn't even recognize his face |
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"Oh, tell me, my darling son, tell me what they've done |
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How is it that you come to be this way?" |
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He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move |
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And his mother had to turn her face away |
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"Don't you remember, ma, when I went off to war |
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You thought it was the best thing I could do? |
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I was on the battleground, you were home, acting proud |
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You weren't there standing in my shoes |
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And I thought when I was there, Lord, what am I doing here? |
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Tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin' |
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But the thing that scared me most, when my enemy came close |
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I can see that his face looked just like mine" |
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And I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink |
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I was just a puppet in a play |
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And through the roar and smoke, this string, it finally broke |
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And a cannon ball blew my eyes away" |
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As he turned away to go, his mother was acting slow |
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Seein' the metal brace that helped him stand |
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But as he turned to leave, he called his mother close |
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And he dropped his medals down into her hand |
