When a Soldier Makes It Home

歌詞

words and music by Arlo Guthrie Halfway around the world tonight In a strange and foreign land A soldier packs his memories As he leaves Afghanistan And back home they don't know too much There's just no way to tell I guess you had to be there For to know that war was hell Chorus: And there won't be any victory parades For those that's coming back They'll fly them in at midnight And unload the body sacks And the living will be walking down A long and lonely road Because nobody seems to care these days When a soldier makes it home They'll say it wasn't easy Just another job well done As the government in Kabul falls To the sounds of rebel guns And the faces of the comrades Being blown out of the sky Leaves you bitter with the feeling That they didn't have to die Chorus Halfway around the world tonight In a strange and foreign land A soldier unpacks memories That he saved from Vietnam Back home they didn't know too much There was just no way to tell I guess you had to be there For to know that war was hell And there wasn't any big parades For those that made it back They flew them in at midnight And unloaded all the sacks And the living were left walking down A long and lonely road Because nobody seemed to care back then When a soldier made it home The night is coming quickly And the stars are on their way As I stare into the evening Looking for the words to say That I saw the lonely soldier Just a boy that's far from home And I saw that I was just like him While upon this earth I roam And there may not be any big parades If I ever make it back As I come home under cover Through a world that can't keep track Of the heroes who have fallen Let alone the ones who won't Which is why nobody seems to care When a soldier makes it home