Wasting Away and Nowhere To Go
Alone, forgotten in this far away land
Lies a soldier, a son and a very weary man
Some think he’s dead, others could care less
In some jungle in Viet Nam is his only address
He didn’t enlist but the man called his name
And four years later he’s almost completely insane
At daybreak he’s in the fields, at night in the clink
With nothing to do but to stare and to think
He longs for his mother as tears fill his eyes
If she could see him now, she get a huge surprise
His girlfriend no doubt has moved on to better things
Like dancing and partying and perhaps wedding rings
But memories are precious as he clings to them all
And oh to have mama’s spaghetti and meatballs
Brother Jimmy hopefully will be college bound
And never have to fight on any battleground
His breathing is raspy, a bloody nose all the time
And being drafted by Uncle Sam was his only crime
He’s mostly skin and bone and his strength’s about gone
He’s been to the bank too often and his account is overdrawn
But still he holds on with hope in his heart
That one day they’ll release him so he can depart
He’s no longer a prisoner, he’s no longer in pain
He’s now in the plot where of his comrades have lain
Just another POW with perhaps a flag flying high
But as for Private Earl Simpson, it was his time to die
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