Lyrics

What ya gonna do with the little girl sitting by the window 'til the sun goes down?
What ya gonna do with the woman she'll become
who will be the daddy that will walk her down the aisle?
'Cause in the beat of drums and the warrior's cry, in the muskets click and roar
In the aftermath and the bugle's song
Johnny don't come marching home no more

What ya gonna do with the little boy pushing that plow up and down the fields?
What ya gonna do with the man he'll become
Who will be the daddy that will teach him right from wrong?
'Cause in the beat of drums and the warrior's cry, in the muskets click and roar
In the aftermath and the bugle's song
Johnny won't come marching home no more

Didn't he believe in a glorious cause
Wanting to end the strife?
Didn't he believe in a greater good
Willing to give his life?

What ya gonna do with the mothers and wives
holding down the family 'til a daddy comes home?
What ya gonna do with the broken lives; what ya gonna do to keep a memory alive?
'Cause in the beat of drums and the warrior's cry, in the muskets click and roar
In the aftermath and the bugle's song
Johnny won't come marching home no more