Kid go take up arms is what they said
As you march into the night
Don't ask questions, know its right

Kid go take up arms is what they said

So I'm sitting in my bedroom, down in New Orleans

When a hurricane washed it away
Gone were my possessions and my home, and so
I signed up for the army that day


It seemed like a good idea at the time
With no money, or future there

With a nod to my past, and a long look at last
I set off for my new career


They put me in a plane and dropped me on the sand
With a rifle and American flag
They gave me !@$^o mags, and cheap cigarettes

And sized me up for a body bag

And I'm proud to say that somehow I found my way home

On the backs of my brothers and friends
And though it still beats and keeps me on my feet
I'll admit that my heart is now dead


So the next time you take your pen and sign a slip
To send another young man over seas

It's true what we're fighting for might have been yours
But the one who was fighting was me