Had a buddy named Jimmy
Friends since we were young
Got in trouble all the time
He said I'll be just like my daddy
I'm gonna join in the ARMY
And leave this little town behind
He went and signed up
And they sent him to Korea
Told me he lived dangerously
Then I read it in the paper
He was drowned in a river
Out patrolling on the DMZ
Ritchie was an angry kid
Liked to talk tough
Always itching for a fight
He liked his cars fast
And he liked a little smoke
'Cause he was always wound up tight
He had a pretty girl
They were always together
Guess he was a one-woman man
But he got mean when he was jealous
So she told him goodbye
Ritchie put a bullet in his head
In this world we don't count for much
Forgotten in our graves
But we can all live on
When they tell out stories
And speak our names
Billy was a small town boy in the city
Wanderin' round aimlessly
'Til he got out on the road with us
Where the drinks and girls and drugs were free
It's the same old story
You've heard it all before
The ending is always the same
Billy died all alone in that big old city
With heroin in his vens
In this world we don't count for much
Forgotten in our graves
But we can all live on
When they tell out stories
And speak our names
The moral to the history
If you're not for death or glory
Live your live and keep movin' on
Those who knew you will remember
And keep your name alive
They'll love you long after you're gone
