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Ngo Dinh Diem thought America was a friend
That turned out badly, he met a bloody end
A State Department cabal thought he denied human rights
They pulled the plug and turned off the lights
JFK agreed he had to go, Diem was hurting our side
Viet plotters then shot him, JFK was horrified.

Then we ended up putting our troops in Diem’s land
Fighting the reds, 58,000 US soldier’s last stand
Nixon tried to get out, an agreement behind Thieu’s back
Assured the south’s leader that he’d repel any attack

But Congress refused to fulfill that promise, and Vietnam fell.
Maybe the war was lost anyway, not easy to tell
Desperate people fell off choppers escaping Saigon
Half a million people left in boats you wouldn’t take a chance on

And then there was Cuba, where the reds took over too.
Cuban rebels came to fight, but we screwed them too.
They were left ashore for Soviet led troops to greet
JFK wouldn’t help, he feared the Latin street

Howitzers pounded 2,000 rounds into these guys
Russian tanks, Russian planes, victory their prize.
US pilots just offshore couldn’t give help, or supplies
We had promised both, but it turned out to be lies.
Communism has run Cuba since that bloody day
Fidel's forces fought in Africa to pave Marxism’s way
They advised Venezuela’s reds how to quash dissent
Freedom had its chance, we blinked, and out it went.

What use are America’s lofty words?
In '75 we backed, then abandoned the Kurds
As soon as we did, their enemies went in for the kill
Ultimately, it’s not just them, we also pay that bill.

Then there was the Shah of Iran, we told him “Liberalize”
The Mullahs saw this as weakness in humanitarian disguise
We sent General Huyser who told Iran's generals not to fight
When the Islamists took charge, those poor generals met their plight
Huyser read descriptions later of their mutilation
No liberalizing will happen now, an iron fist rules that nation.

I saw the photo of an Afghan, desperately hanging on to a plane
We bypassed the Afghan leaders to retreat, another stain
People stick their necks out, thinking we are their friends
This world learns the lesson our ambiguity sends. 

Now I understand if we’re in the mire, we have to extricate
Abandon sunken costs, abandon allies to their fate.
But anyone who joins us must take into consideration
That we are a weathervane, a tempest tossed nation.
And our own wounded warriors must wonder at their sacrifice
Was fighting for this country worth their personal price?
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