[Verse 1]
When John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore
His mother sure was proud of him
As he stood straight and tall in his uniform and all
His mother's face broke out all to a grin
[Verse 2]
“Oh son, you look so fine, I’m glad you’re a son of mine
You make me proud to know you hold a gun
Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get
And we’ll put them on the wall when you come home”
[Verse 3]
When that old train pulled out, John’s Ma began to shout
Tellin’ everybody in the whole neighborhood:
“That’s my son that’s about to go, he’s a soldier now, you know”
She made well sure her neighbors understood
Oh Lord, understood
[Verse 4]
She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed 'em to the people from next door
And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun
And these things she called a good old-fashioned war
[Verse 5]
Then the letters ceased to come, for long time they never come
They ceased to come for about nine months or more
Then a letter finally came saying, “Go down and meet the train
Your son’s a-comin' home from the war”
Oh Lord, from the war
[Verse 6]
Well, she smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she did not see her soldier son in sight
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes
[Verse 7]
His face was all shot up and both his hands were blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist
He whispered kinda slow, in a voice she did not know
While she couldn’t even recognize his face
[Verse 8]
“Oh my darling son, tell me what they done
How is it that you come to be this way?”
His mouth could hardly move as he tried his best to talk
And she did not even recognize his voice
[Verse 9]
“Oh don’t you remember, Ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home a-feelin' proud
Thank God you wasn’t there standin' in my shoes”
[Verse 10]
“Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doin' here?
I’m a-tryin’ to kill my enemy or die tryin’
But as the enemy came close, the thing that hurt me most
Is I saw that his face looked just like mine”
Oh Lord, just like mine
[Verse 11]
“And I could not help but think, through the thunder sound and stink
That I was just a puppet in a play
But through the roar and smoke, the string had finally broke
And a cannonball blew my eyes away”
[Verse 12]
As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
Seein’ the metal brace that helped him stand
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand
Oh Lord, to her hand
