This is My Rifle
Mark Maysey
Back in 69, I didn't have a care
Before they called my number, I chopped of all my hair
Said goodbye to mamma, dad and uncle Dan
Boarded an airplane and headed off for Nam
He called us to attention as we stepped off the plane
Checked us off a list as he called out our names
Then he picked up his rifle and raised it in the air
Grabbed his crotch with his other hand as we all stood and stared
He said...
Chorus
This is my rifle
This is my gun
One is for killing
The others for fun
So until this war is over
Or until your time is done
This is your rifle and this one is your gun
Thirty years have passed since I stepped off that plane
The nightmares haven't ended and neither has the pain
I've drank my share of liquor and smoked my share of grass
But I can't unload the memories or these few words from my past
Repeat Chorus
Well, a dear friend of mine finally called it quits
They found him one cold morning laying in a ditch
A bullet through his brain, his rifle at his side
And one old rusted dog tag from 1969
When they turned his body over they found his written note
It wasn't but a few lines, but the last he ever wrote
And when they laid him in his grave on that cold December day
I took those words he'd written and I began to play
Repeat Chorus
Back in 69, I didn't have a care
Before they called my number, I chopped off all my hair