We recorded this song on October the 6th
Since then the war's been declared over
If you're like me you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war
One big drag
Lot of people write songs about wars and government
Very social things
But I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young
I had no more idea about any government, or political things or anything
And I think about those kind of young guys now
Who all of a sudden somebody comes up
And they're very law-abiding
So if somebody says go they don't ask any questions they just go

And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy
With his right arm gone, just got back
And I asked him how he was doing
He said he was doing all right now
But he had thought he was gonna die
He said getting shot at didn't bother him
It was getting shot that shook him up
And I tried to put myself in his position
Maybe he cried, maybe he said

I can't write left handed
Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother?
Tell her, tell her to tell
Tell her to tell the family lawyer
Try to get a deferment for my younger brother

Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord
I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older
Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't, I ain't never seen
Bless his heart I ain't never done nothin' to
He done shot me in my shoulder

Boot camp we had classes
You know we talked about fightin', fightin' everyday
And lookin' through rosy, rosy colored glasses
I must admit it seemed exciting anyway
But something that they overlooked to tell me
Bullets look better I must say
Rather when they comin' at you
But go without the other way

And please call up the Reverend
call up, call up the Reverend Harris
And tell him to ask the lord to do some good things for me
Tell him, I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live
I ain't gonna live to get much older
Oh Lord

Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't never seen
bless his heart I, ain't never done nothing to
he done shot me in my shoulder

Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): Bill Withers, Raymond McKinley Jackson