The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley by John Deer (Royal American label) Lyrics
[Intro – spoken verses]
Once upon a time there was a little boy
Who wanted to grow up to be a soldier
And to serve his country in whatever way he could
He'd parade around the house
With a sauce pan on his head for a helmet
A wooden sword in one hand
And the American flag in the other
As he grew up, he put away the things of a child
But he never let go of the flag
[Sung verses]
My name is William Calley
I'm a soldier of this land
I've tried to do my duty
And to gain the uppеr hand
But they've made mе out a villain
They have stamped me with a brand
As we go marching on
I'm just another soldier
From the shores of U.S.A
Forgotten on a battle field
Ten thousand miles away
While life goes on as usual
From New York to Santa Fe
As we go marching on
I've seen my buddies ambushed
On the left and on the right
And their youthful bodies riddled
By the bullets of the night
Where all the rules are broken
And the only law is might
As we go marching on
While we're fighting in the jungles
They were marching in the streets
While we're dying in the rice fields
They were helping our defeat
While we're facing V.C. bullets
They were sounding our retreat
As we go marching on
With our sweat we took the bunkers
With our tears we took the plain
With our blood we took the mountain
And they gave it back again
Still, all of us are soldiers
We're too busy to complain
As we go marching on
[Spoken verses]
When I reach my final campground
In that land beyond the sun
And the great commander asks me
"Did you fight or did you run?"
I'll stand both straight and tall
Stripped of medals, rank and gun
And this is what I'll say:
Sir, I followed all my orders
And I did the best I could
It's hard to judge the enemy
And hard to tell the good
Yet, there's not a man among us
Would not have understood
We took the jungle village
Exactly like they said
We responded to their rifle fire
With everything we had
When the smoke had cleared away
A hundred souls were dead
Sir, the soldier that's alive
Is the only one' can fight
There's no other way to wage a war
When the only one in sight
That you're sure is not a V.C
Is your buddy on your right
When all the wars are over
And the battle's finally won
Count me only as a soldier
Who never left his gun
But the right to serve my country
As the only prize I've won
As we go marching on
[Outro – sung]
Glory, glory, Hallelujah
Glory, glory, Hallelujah
Glory, glory, Hallelujah...
Once upon a time there was a little boy
Who wanted to grow up to be a soldier
And to serve his country in whatever way he could
He'd parade around the house
With a sauce pan on his head for a helmet
A wooden sword in one hand
And the American flag in the other
As he grew up, he put away the things of a child
But he never let go of the flag
[Sung verses]
My name is William Calley
I'm a soldier of this land
I've tried to do my duty
And to gain the uppеr hand
But they've made mе out a villain
They have stamped me with a brand
As we go marching on
I'm just another soldier
From the shores of U.S.A
Forgotten on a battle field
Ten thousand miles away
While life goes on as usual
From New York to Santa Fe
As we go marching on
I've seen my buddies ambushed
On the left and on the right
And their youthful bodies riddled
By the bullets of the night
Where all the rules are broken
And the only law is might
As we go marching on
While we're fighting in the jungles
They were marching in the streets
While we're dying in the rice fields
They were helping our defeat
While we're facing V.C. bullets
They were sounding our retreat
As we go marching on
With our sweat we took the bunkers
With our tears we took the plain
With our blood we took the mountain
And they gave it back again
Still, all of us are soldiers
We're too busy to complain
As we go marching on
[Spoken verses]
When I reach my final campground
In that land beyond the sun
And the great commander asks me
"Did you fight or did you run?"
I'll stand both straight and tall
Stripped of medals, rank and gun
And this is what I'll say:
Sir, I followed all my orders
And I did the best I could
It's hard to judge the enemy
And hard to tell the good
Yet, there's not a man among us
Would not have understood
We took the jungle village
Exactly like they said
We responded to their rifle fire
With everything we had
When the smoke had cleared away
A hundred souls were dead
Sir, the soldier that's alive
Is the only one' can fight
There's no other way to wage a war
When the only one in sight
That you're sure is not a V.C
Is your buddy on your right
When all the wars are over
And the battle's finally won
Count me only as a soldier
Who never left his gun
But the right to serve my country
As the only prize I've won
As we go marching on
[Outro – sung]
Glory, glory, Hallelujah
Glory, glory, Hallelujah
Glory, glory, Hallelujah...