I Can't Write Left-Handed

(album: Hello Like Before: The Songs Of Bill Withers - 2018)

Bill Withers wrote this song in 1973
Back then it was about the Vietnam war which my father went to
And I understood it from the perspective of a kid who went to Desert Storm
And now it's 2018 and there's some young man in some war somewhere and he'll understand it his way
But that's just what it is, I mean one thing I really like about this song is it's not really political
It's really about the conditions of the people that go
It reasons that we go
It's not political at all, it has more to do with our media circumstances like for me
I joined 'cause my daddy joined and my daddy joined 'cause he needed a job
So like he said when they say go you just go
Half the time you go into some country you never heard of
Which is exciting until you realize wow this was really death, you know
And I'm sure it's the same way for the guy on the side but...
Once you're in that situation you're wearing that uniform and he's wearing that uniform
And whether you're political or not, you are in this situation right now
And it doesn't matter what you political leanings are at that time
And that's what I really love about this song 'cause it speaks to the humanity
Of soldiers, of humans on either side

I can't write left handed
Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother
Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell my family lawyer
Try to get, try to get a deferment for my younger brother

Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me
I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm gonna live to get much older
Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't never seen
Bless his heart I ain't never done nothing to, he done shot me in my shoulder

Boot camp we had classes
You know we talked about fighting, about fighting everyday
And looking through rosy, ooking through rosy colored glasses
I must admit it seemed exciting, exciting anyway
But something, something that overlooked to tell me
Bullets look much better I must say
Rather when they, they coming at you
Then go, go without the other way

So please call up, call up, call up the Reverend Harris
And tell him to ask the lord to do some good things for me
Tell him, I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live to get much older
Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't never seen, bless his heart
I ain't never done nothing to, he done shot me in my shoulder