He packed his bag he's leaving town had seen enough to care Had fifteen dollars in his hand to get from here to there He took his time made up his mind
His father pled son stay at home there's work back on the farm I went this route when I was a boy with a gun held in my arms Saw so many die with star spangled eyes
He packed his mother's only Bible down take a Rosary she said And son please say your prayers tonight when you lay down your head
Cuz it's a long ride home on these tired roads tonight Old Johnny died on war torn streets in the fading summer light They laid him in the ground today his father shook his head I only wish he'd stayed at home instead
He sits alone under the stars on a porch swing made of steel His head hung low down to the ground for the pain that he now feels Why he let him go, God only knows
He packed his mother's only Bible down take a Rosary she said And son please say your prayers tonight when you lay down your head
