Ballad For A Soldier

(album: Asylum Choir II - 1971)

When I was just a young boy
I played with swords and guns
And I dreamed of the day I'd become a soldier
And kill all of the enemies
My country 'tis of thee
I sing this anthem sadly, won't you hear me

I watched the cannons blazing
On the giant silver screen
The swastikas were burning and the hero was me
The general gave the order
Gladly I obeyed
But the movie faded quickly all at once today

And now I stand alone with the charges made
Nowhere to run, not a place to hide
We're sad little children playing grown-up games
Guess the time has come, the damage has been done

Oh stray dogs that live on the highway walk on three legs
'Cause they learn too slow to get the message
Just like the Indians in the early days
Battles lost and won
Yet it still goes on
It's just another ballad for a soldier

I had no understanding till I saw my mother cry
When they told her how many babies I had killed that night
A dozen color photographs inside a magazine
Told the morbid story like a movie screen

But I was not the hero I thought myself to be
Movies are much different than reality
The general was convicted to get off of the hook
But the President might free me for the chance I took

And we all stand alone when the charge is made
Sad way to live, what a way to die
We're all little children playing grown-up games
Can we burn the gun before the next time comes

Oh, stray dogs that live on the highway walk on three legs
They move to slow to get the message
Give up and win, that's all I have to say
We haven't really won till all the fighting done
And there are no more ballads for the soldiers