Story Behind The Song

Originally written in the late 60's, this song was revisted and expanded after the invasion of Iraq

Song Description

In the sixties, some went to war and died and some stayed in school. Many who went did not want to go. This song speaks to that dichotomy and asks disturbing questions against the backdrop of the passage of thirty years and the changes that took place i

Lyrics

Listen world
While I tell you the story about a boy that went to war
He went to war and he fought against his principles
For the purpose of staying alive.

Chorus

He didn?t wanna go
And that just what he said
But the big man said well sorry sonny
It?s your turn to fight
He said your grandpa fought in ?17
You daddy died in ?42
He said like it or not sonny boy
We made this war for you, yes we did
We made this war for you, for you, for you

He went to war five thousand miles away from his home
Knee deep in mud in the bug infested jungles
With the enemy firing at him as his brothers fall and die
And then he rises up his rifle firing blinding into the sky
Not knowing where to go or what the hell to do

And this was his war my friends
And this was his war my friends
And this was his war my friends
His war, his war my friends

Chorus

He didn?t wanna go
And that just what he said
But the big man said well sorry sonny
It?s your turn to fight
He said your grandpa fought in ?17
You daddy died in ?42
He said like it or not sonny boy
Well we made this war for you, yes we did
We made this war for you, for you, for you

And then while he was on patrol on a dark and dismal night
He was captured by a band of men for who he bore no hate
Well they took him to a little shack and there they tortured him
For what, for what, for war, for war

And this was his war my friends
And this was his war my friends
And where were you then my friends
And the young man died my friends
And the young man died my friends

And his mother still cries
And you stayed in school
And you were real cool, over in Viet Nam

And the young boy died in Viet Nam
And his mother still cries in Viet Nam
And it?s been thirty years since Viet Nam
And you?re drinking beer not Viet Nam
And you ran from your fear not Viet Nam
You were chasing the girls from Viet Nam

And it?s been thirty years
And his mother still cries

And now they got Coca Cola in Viet Nam
They got Marlboro in Viet Nam
And got Marriott hotels in Viet Nam
They got play station, in Viet Nam
They got Levi jeans in Viet Nam

And his mother still cries for the young man died
And his mother still cries for the young man died

And they watch Jenny Jones in Viet Nam
And they go to McDonalds in Viet Nam
And they eat Dunkin Donuts in Viet Nam
They got cell phones there in Viet Nam
There wear Nike shoes in Viet Nam
They want to watch our news in Viet Nam

And his mother still cries
The young boy died

Where were the lies, over in Viet Nam
And this young man died over in Viet Nam

They got Coca Cola over in Viet Nam
They got Marlboro in Viet Nam
They got Marriott hotels in Viet Nam
They got Cadillac cars in Viet Nam
They got Cheerios in Viet Nam
They got the NBA in Viet Nam

But the mother still cries
For the young boy who died
And it been thirty years
And the nation still sighs

And that was his war my friends
And that was his war my friends
That was his war my friends

He didn?t want to go
And that just what he said
But the big man said sorry sonny
It?s your turn to fight
He said your grandpa fought in ?17
You daddy died in ?42
He said like it or not sonny boy
Well we made this war for you, yes we did
We made this war for you, for you, for you

That was his war my friends
He died thirty years
And his mother still cries
The nation still sighs
Because of the lies, over in Viet Nam

And the lies over in Viet Nam
And we?re in Iraq, over in Viet Nam

And we?re going back over to Viet Nam
And we never learned, learned from Viet Nam