By Jeremy Dunn (I Used To Dream)
He used to dream
About going to war
Playing with guns and bombs and such
Staging elaborate battles in backyards
Living the glory and the lore
“I got you, you’re dead!”
“NO I’M NOT, YOU MISSED!”
“RAT-A-TAT-TAT!” and “BOOM, K-KBOOM, SSSSS!”
He used to dream
About going to war
Pictures of heroes, medals glistening
Looking sharp in their uniforms
Getting the girl and everyone listening
As he told stories of victories and close escapes
Daring raids and awful scrapes
With wounds that healed, but left cool scars
Folks buying him drinks at the local bars
He used to dream
Now he’s at war
The bullets are real and the bombs don’t lie
Friends don’t always make it and the rules aren’t always clear
People say we shouldn’t be here
Home seems so distant,
Family so far away
Times sure have changed
From the games kids play
He made it home
To all that he missed
The sights, the smells, his wife’s kiss
“Thank goodness you didn’t get hurt” they all say
And if only it were true
His bruises and wounds aren’t the kind you can see
But scars . . . he’s got a few
He gets angry at little things and cries for no reason
Pushes away those who get close
At night he dreams
And he wishes he didn’t
As he wrestles with demons and ghosts
He used to dream
About going to war
Now he fights just to get out of bed
But every day is a victory
He’s not giving up
He’s staying one step ahead
He still dreams
But with eyes wide open
Well aware of the cost
War is hell and those who survive
Tell a tale of innocence lost
He used to dream
About going to war
Playing with guns and bombs and such
Staging elaborate battles in backyards
Living the glory and the lore
“I got you, you’re dead!”
“NO I’M NOT, YOU MISSED!”
“RAT-A-TAT-TAT!” and “BOOM, K-KBOOM, SSSSS!”
He used to dream
About going to war
Pictures of heroes, medals glistening
Looking sharp in their uniforms
Getting the girl and everyone listening
As he told stories of victories and close escapes
Daring raids and awful scrapes
With wounds that healed, but left cool scars
Folks buying him drinks at the local bars
He used to dream
Now he’s at war
The bullets are real and the bombs don’t lie
Friends don’t always make it and the rules aren’t always clear
People say we shouldn’t be here
Home seems so distant,
Family so far away
Times sure have changed
From the games kids play
He made it home
To all that he missed
The sights, the smells, his wife’s kiss
“Thank goodness you didn’t get hurt” they all say
And if only it were true
His bruises and wounds aren’t the kind you can see
But scars . . . he’s got a few
He gets angry at little things and cries for no reason
Pushes away those who get close
At night he dreams
And he wishes he didn’t
As he wrestles with demons and ghosts
He used to dream
About going to war
Now he fights just to get out of bed
But every day is a victory
He’s not giving up
He’s staying one step ahead
He still dreams
But with eyes wide open
Well aware of the cost
War is hell and those who survive
Tell a tale of innocence lost