"Gun Shy" by 10000 Maniacs

[ Natalie Merchant ]



I always knew that you would take yourself far from home 
as soon as, as far as you could go. 
By the 1/4 inch cut of your hair and 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 
you won't meet it with your gun. 

So now you are one of the brave few, 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." 
Well I knew, I could see, it was all cut and dried to me 
there was soldiers blue blood streaming inside your veins. 
There is a world outside of this room and when you meet it
promise me 
you won't meet it with your gun taking aim. 
For I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you 
and 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? 
Well 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 
you won't meet it with your gun taking aim. 
I don't mean to argue, they've made a decent boy of you 
and I don't mean to spoil your homecoming my baby brother
Jude 
and I don't mean to hurt you by saying this again, 
they're so good at making soldiers but they're not so good
at making men.