Flags of Our Fathers — 2005

I remember every holiday
Our whole town lined the streets
Waitin on the big parade
From the curb in their lawn chair seats
And one old man always the first to stand
And snap a sharp salute
And one by one the crowd around
Would rise and follow suit

For the streamers flew like eagles
And the battle banners waved
For all the ones who fought and died
To see Old Glory raised
To each and every hero
Who has ever come and gone
The flags of our fathers carry on
The flags of our fathers carry on

Marching bands and the motorcades
Paper flowers and the floats
The beauty queens and their pageant waves
Oh, but what I remember most
Was that one old man always the first to stand
With his hand across his heart
And how his eyes welled up with pride
When he saw the color guard

As the streamers flew like eagles
And the battle banners waved
For all the ones who fought and died
To see Old Glory raised
To each and every hero
Who has ever come and gone
The flags of our fathers carry on
The flags of our fathers carry on

To each and every hero
Who has ever come and gone
The flags of our fathers carry on
The flags of our fathers carry on
The flags of our fathers carry on

Carry on...

Just 18, growing up on the wrong side of the law
Somewhere, someday knew hed have to rise above it all
Told his family hes gonna go fight for his land
Little brother can hold down the farm, and Mama please understand
Mama begged him not to go
Mama lost her little boy, but a country gained a hero

The desert air hit him square in the face, and boy you were right
Somewhere in between the fight he finally new what it meant to be alive
He was just 3 years shy of 21, and they gave that boy a gun
Mama begged him not to go
Mama lost her little boy, but a country gained a hero

Yeah, well, some say a hero is born to be brave
But I’m here to tell you that a hero is a scared man that don’t walk away

Mama sits by the flag of the USA
Tears well up in her eyes as she bows her head to pray
And she says, Son, I know you had to go
But mama lost her little boy, but a country gained a hero

Yeah, gained a hero
Well, it gained a hero
We gained a hero
Yeah, gained a hero
Gained a hero
For the USA
Oh, for the USA

No one raised their hand that day
When they asked for volunteers
He got picked out by default
He was the only daddy there

They said we know what you're thinking
Choose someone else instead
But this league is built on coaches
Who stood right there and said

Not me, not me, no way with this job of mine
I could never find the time not me, not me
The world becomes a better place when
Someone stands and leads the way
Steps forward when they'd rather say, not me

The judge says you're the oldest
May choose a legal guardian
I'm sorry that you lost your folks
But there's no next of kin

Two brothers and a sister, she knew how hard
It would be but she softly said
I'll raise them while a voice inside her screamed

Not me, not me, I can't believe what's happening
This isn't how it's supposed to be not me, not me
The world becomes a better place when
Someone stands and leads the way
Steps forward when they'd rather say, not me

A young captain at attention
A star pin on his chest
He recalls the battle while
The final roll call's read

They were the finest soldiers
It was my privilege to lead
They deserve the medals
The men who died not me

Not me, not me, I just did what
I was called to do you'd do the same
If it was you, not me, not me
The world becomes a better place when
Someone stands and leads the way
Steps forward when they'd rather say not me

Yeah, steps forward when they'd rather say
Not me, not me, not me

Spoken: The trail of the 3rd Army and 19th tactical air command of the 8th Air Force is marked by more than 40,000 white crosses; 40,000 dead Americans
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We were young and soldiers called to dedicate our lives
In the name of God and country
Do whats just boys, go do whats right
A hard band of brothers waiting on our chance
To add one more page onto the victory dance
Here am I, Lord send me, send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Well we stood upon the ramparts, and we fought to save ourselves
But the price one pays for victory, Lord I know it all, I know it all too well
And they may call us heroes, but only those whove been will know
I would give my life for the man beside me
Just to bring my brother, yeah bring him home
Here am I, send me
Send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Yeah, send me
Yeah, send me
Send me
Oh, send me, Lord
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Father forgive us for we know not what we do
Father forgive us all we have been through, we band of brothers
Yeah, we band of brothers

And now the bows have all been broken
And the warriors come home
But if they called again
Who would answer then, like my Daddy did
So many years before
Here am I, Lord send me
Send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Yeah, send me
Yeah, send me
Oh, send me
Oh, send me, Lord
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Send me
Oh, Lord send me
Oh, send me
Send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Hey, send me
Why dont you send me
Come on send me
Here am I, send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Oh, send me
Oh, send me
Oh, send me
Send me
Victory lies in the spirit of the lives of the men who died for me

Oh, send me
Oh, send me
Come on send me

In the little town that I grew up in
Me and my buddies always had big dreams
Kelly set her sights on making movies
Randy was swinging for the major leagues
Michaels Daddy was our county Sheriff
He couldnt wait to work with his old man
Me, all I wanted was to fly an airplane
See the world courtesy of Uncle Sam

Whoa, we are on our way
Were on our way to Gloryland
Whoa, we are all just scattered stones by Heavens hand
Whoa, we are on our way, were on our way, were on our way, yeah

I read the words we wrote in our old yearbook
Man, its funny how our lives have changed
Kellys somewhere out in California
Randys made it playing Triple A
Michael walks a beat in New York City
You got to hand it to the boys in blue
And, me I stood beside men of honor
Who fought to see Americas dream come true

Whoa, we are on our way
Were on our way to Gloryland
Whoa, we are all just scattered stones by Heavens hand
Whoa, we are on our way, were on our way, were on our way

Oh, where life leads us we cant always say
(we cant always say)
But where we need to be its just a dream away
(just a dream away)

Whoa, we are on our way
Were on our way to Gloryland
Whoa, we are all just scattered stones by Heavens hand
Whoa, we are on our way, were on our way to Gloryland
Whoa, we are on our way, were on our way, were on our way

Were on our way

Oh, it must be your prayers that lead me
Back here where you need me
To the farm where I was born
Just like your Daddys dad before
Well, it seems like its been forever
You’ve been hanging on through
The wind and the weather
And you’re counting on the only
Son you ever raised
So Ill do all I can to save this place
One man, two hands and 7 days

Well, its all you’ve ever known, so its hard to understand
The sacrifice it takes just to pull something from the land
So Ill keep turning over acres to get em ready for the corn
And I will mend the crumbling fences that I repaired the year before

Oh, it must be your prayers that lead me
Back here where you need me
To the farm where I was born
Just like your Daddys dad before
Well, it seems like its been forever
You’ve been hanging on through
The wind and the weather
And you’re counting on the only
Son you ever raised
So Ill do all I can to save this place
One man, two hands, and 7 days

When I doubt what difference
I can make in 7 days of leave
I remember what the Lord did
With one day less me

Oh, it must be your prayers that lead me
Back here where you need me
To the farm where I was born
Just like your Daddys dad before
Well, it seems like its been forever
You’ve been hanging on through
The wind and the weather
And you’re counting on the only
Son you ever raised
So Ill do all I can to save this place
One man, two hands, and 7 days

Remember back when we met one another
We both got stuck in school for the summer
They were holding our diplomas hostage until we passed, remedial math
Yep, I was a skinny little kid with a buck thirty-five
But I was tall in the hall, with you by my side
If there was trouble ahead now, we never saw it coming
We fell in love and hit the ground running

Oh yeah, yeah... they said a love like ours wouldn't last
Oh yeah, yeah... we were too young and moving too fast
Oh yeah life goes on And didn't we prove them wrong

I drove an old Plymouth Duster, paid $500 cash
Had a slant 6 under the hood, 3 on the dash
But it got me back home from the Army, doing a 4-year tour
So I could stay yours
When I asked for your hand I was scared half to death
Was stumbling for words, when you smiled and said, "yes"
Trouble ahead now, we never saw it coming
We tied the knot, girl, and hit the ground running

Oh yeah, yeah... they said a love like ours wouldn't last
Oh yeah, yeah... we were too young and moving too fast
Oh yeah life goes on And didn't we prove them wrong

Hey, hey, hey won't you look at us now... (now)
Just a couple of fools still in love somehow...
Oh yeah, yeah... they said a love like ours wouldn't last
we were too young and moving too fast
Oh yeah life goes on and on
And didn't we prove them wrong

Eighth grade, standing my ground
Outweighed by at least 30 pounds
Oh, Willie T. James
Meanest boy in the school
Toe to toe outside of homeroom
Like two gunslingers in the hall at high noon
Theres no backing down now
You’d just look like a fool
Somebody had to stand up to him
I stood up, and got knocked back down again
Thats a fight I couldn’t win

Stumbling for words on the phone
Dads trying to tell me why he’s not coming home
Its your mother and me
Boy, its not your fault
So its one weekend a month
And a summer vacation
Made a special trip back, for my graduation
Said, Im proud of you, son... take good care of your Mom
I tried to be a man and hold it in
I didn’t want to cry in front of him
Thats a fight I couldn’t win

And sometimes you’ve got to let go
Sometimes you’re gonna lose
You try to choose your battles
But sometimes they choose you

Soldiers holding our ground
Shots ringing out, and the men going down
We were caught in harms way
Way too far from home
Well its not about pride or the headline story
Not for the country, or even Old Glory
At times like that, you’re trying to bring each other back home
I ran over to help my friend
I tried to keep the life inside of him

Mm, hm... I tried

Thats a fight I couldnt win
Thats a fight I couldnt win

Daddy got the call sometime in the summer of 69
Did his tour in the war
But the home he was fighting for
Wasn’t what he left behind

I was there that day when the telegram came
And mamma fell to her knees
He was a mighty good man but he fell into the hands
Of the North Vietnamese

For every man that gave his life
Another folded stars and stripes
Husbands, fathers, brothers, sons will never be forgotten
When you find what once was lost
Put a circle on the cross

For two years mamma held on said Im trying to do the best I can
But the Army wasn’t paying
And she had a boy to raise
So she found herself another man

I was there that day when the taps was played
And they buried his name in the ground
The preacher was still talking as mamma started walking
And she aint never turned around

Put a circle on the crossOn the cold black wall
Put a circle on the cross 60,000 gone

I never knew my daddy
But were the same man after all
Cause it wasn’t my reflection
I saw staring back at me from that wall

Well I was walking through graveyard
Endless rows of white
Where they buried all the men
Who ever took up arms to fight.
When I came across this old man
He was talking to the grave.
I kept my distance, watched in awe
As he spoke to them by name.

Kacey you were the captain
Of our high school football team.
And Iggy we knew you lied about you age
You were seventeen.
And Holland you were the first to fall
When we came under attack.
You boys are the heroes,
The ones who never made it back.

And he said...
Buddy if you hear me,
Well you know you save my life.
And I wont forget the others,
on your left and on your right.
It wont be long until I'm gone
You know I'll join you then.
Then our last band of brothers will rise again.

So I called that man a hero
And I asked if we could meet.
But instead he introduced the men of Easy Company.
He said we never dreamed what we would see
When raised up our right hand.
But our lives were bound forever
When we stepped out on that sand.

He said...
Buddy if you hear me
Well you know you save my life.
And I wont forget the others
On your left and on your right.
It won't be long until I'm gone
You know I'll join you then.
Then our last band of brothers will rise again.

Well it's been a while since I've been by
So I stopped just the other day.
And I notice there was one more stone
In the ground where Easy laid.

And I said...
Buddy if you hear me
Well I know you gave your life.
And I wont forget the others
On your left and on your right.
A generation gone but you've moved on
I know your there with them.
And now your last band of brothers will rise again
Oh, your last band of brothers will rise again