Unproud Warrior

[Verse 1]

September the second, two thousand seventeen

That’s your discharge date, etched in your soul

It’s been nearly two years now, gone by so fast

Like the fast-food restaurants they built while you were away

Pull into the drive-thru, speak into a box

Discard the paper wrappers when you’re through

These people can’t comprehend the choices you made

So you don’t tell them a thing

[Chorus]

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

You made your house your own

[Verse 2]

Some blame their actions on their government

It’s all orders for these lily-white comrades

They hang up their guns on a nail of rosewater

And participate in their grandson’s parade

But you know you had more choices than they let on

A soldier is not a cog, but a man like any other

These thoughts you revisit every time you turn on a movie

And see a depiction that is far from your own experience

[Chorus]

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

You made your choice alone

[Verse 3]

You were only seventeen when you enlisted, you remember

SE Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was just fifteen

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was just nineteen

At twenty-three, Stephen Crane published The Red Badge Of Courage

Which is still known as one of the most realistic depictions of war

Even though Crane was born after the Civil War ended

Maybe sentiments of regret are not all that unrelatable

You’ve always taken lengths to be aware of your own choice

[Chorus]

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

You built your house alone

[Outro]

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

Unproud warrior

You made your house your own