Ballad for a Soldier

When I was just a young boy, I played with swords and guns And I dreamed of the day I'd become a soldier I kill all of the enemies, my country 'tis of thee I sing this anthem sadly, won't you hear me? I watched the cannons blazing on the giant silver screen The swastikas were burning and the hero was me The general gave the order, gladly I obeyed But the movie faded quickly, all at once today And now I stand alone with the charges made Nowhere to run and not a place to hide We're sad little children playing grown-up games I guess the time has come, the damage has been done Whoa, stray dogs that live on the highway walk on three legs 'Cause they learn too slow to get the message Just like the Indians in the early days The battles lost and won, yet it still goes on It's just another ballad for a soldier I had no understanding 'til I saw my mother cry When they told her how many babies I had killed that night A dozen color photographs inside of a magazine Told the morbid story like a movie screen But I was not the hero that I thought myself to be Movies are much different than reality The general was convicted to get off of the hook But the President might free me for the chance I took And now I stand alone when the charge is made Sad way to live and what a way to die We're all little children playing grown-up games Can we burn the gun before the next time comes? Whoa, stray dogs that live on the highway walk on three legs They move too slow to get the message Give up and win, that's all I have to say We haven't really won 'til all the fightin' done And there are no more ballads for the soldiers