I Can't Write Left-Handed

[Intro]

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

And 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

And the reasons that we go, is not political at all

It has more to do with our immediate circumstances

Like for mе, I joined 'cause my daddy joined and

My daddy joinеd because he needed a job, you know?

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 excitin' until you realize like, "Wow, this is really life and death," you know?

And I'm sure it's the same way for the guy on the other side but

Once you're in that situation, you're wearin' that uniform and he's wearin' that uniform

And whether you're political or not

You are in that situation right now

And it doesn't matter what your political leanin's are at that time

And that's what I really love about this song 'cause it speaks that

The humanity, of soldiers, of humans on either side

[Verse 1]

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 my family lawyer

Try to get, try to get a deferment for my younger brother

Tell the Reverend Watkins to pray for me

I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older

[Refrain]

Strange little man over here, Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen

Bless his heart, ain't never done nothin' to

He done shot me in my shoulder

[Verse 2]

Boot camp we had classes

You know we talked about fightin', about fightin' every day

And lookin' through rosy, lookin' through rosy colored glasses

I must admit it seemed excitin', excitin' anyway

Yeah, but somethin', somethin' they overlooked to tell me

Bullets look better, I must say

Brother, when they ain't comin' at you

Then goin', goin' out the other way

So please call up the Reverend

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

Oh Lord

[Refrain]

Strange little man over here, Vietnam I ain't never seen

Bless his heart ain't never done nothin' to

He done shot me in my shoulder

[Outro]

Oh

Hey, yay

Oh

Mmm