I always knew that you would take yourself far from home
As soon as, as far as, you could go
By the quarter inch cut of your hair and the Army issue pay
For the past eight weeks I can tell where you've been
For I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
There was soldier's blue blood streaming inside your veins
There is a world outside of this room
And when you meet it promise me
You won't meet it with your gun
So now you are one of the brave few
It's awfully sad we need boys like you
I hope the day never comes
For here's your live round son
Stock and barrel, safety trigger, here's your gun
Well I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
There was soldiers blue blood streaming inside your veins
There is a world outside of this room
And when you meet it promise me
You won't meet it with your gun taking aim
For I don't mean to argue
They've made a decent boy of you
And I don't mean to spoil your homecoming
But baby brother you should expect me to
"Stock and barrel, safety trigger, here's your gun"
So now does your heart pitter pat, with a patriotic song
When you see the stripes of old glory waving?
Well I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me
There was soldier's blue blood streaming inside your veins
There is a world outside of this room
And when you meet it promise me
You won't meet it with your gun taking aim
Well, I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you
And I don't mean to spoil your homecoming, my baby brother Jude
Oh, I don't mean to hurt you by saying this again
They're so good at making soldiers but they're not as good at making men