Lirieke: Natalie Merchant. Live In Concert. Gun Shy.

I always knew that you would take yourself so far from home
As soon as and as far as you could go
By the quarter inch cut of your hair, by the Army issue green
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
That you won't meet it with your gun

So now you are one, one of the brave few
And it's awful 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'

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
That you won't meet it with your gun, taking aim

I don't mean to argue that they've made a decent boy of you
I don't mean to spoil your home coming
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?

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
That you won't meet it with your gun, taking aim

I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you
I don't mean to spoil your homecoming my baby brother Jude
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
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