John Brown

John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore

His mama sure was proud of him

And he stood straight and tall in his uniform and all

His mother's face broke out all in a grin

"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 get home"

When that old train pulled out, John's Ma began to shout

Tellin' everyone 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

Made sure her neighbors understood

Made sure her neighbors understood

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile

As she showed them to the people from next door

And she bragged about her son and his uniform and gun

And these things you called a good old-fashioned war

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not 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 coming home from the war"

Your son's coming home from the war

Your son's coming home from the war

Your son's coming home from the war

Oh Lord, your son's coming home from the war

She smiled and went right down, she looked up all around

But she could 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

His face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off

And he wore a metal brace around his waist

He whispered kind of slow in a voice she did not know

She couldn't even recognize his face

"Oh, my darling son, tell me what have they done

How is it you come to be this way?"

His mouth could hardly move as he tried his best to talk

And she didn't even recognize his voice

"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 feeling proud

Thank God you wasn't standing in my shoes"

"Oh, I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?

Tryin' to kill my enemy or die tryin'

But as the enemy came close, the thing that hurt me the most

And I saw that his face looked just like mine"

His face looked just like mine

His face looked just like mine

Oh Lord, oh Lord, his face looked just like mine

Oh Lord, oh Lord, his face looked just like mine

"I couldn't help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink

That I was just a puppet in a play

Through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke

A cannonball blew my eyes away"

As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock

At seein' the metal brace that helped him stand

But as he turned to go, he called to his mother close

And dropped his medals down into her hand

Lord, oh Lord, he dropped them medals in her hand

Oh Lord, oh Lord, he dropped them medals in her hand