And we'll all man the guns for America
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
Just be there when I get home
Come to me Mary, oh I wanna know
If you still love me, like you told me so
Meet me in the field
Underneath that old oak tree
Oh wont you say you will
When the rooster crows
And the train whistle blows
That's when I'll be gone
You see I got a job to do
My country is at war
But I'd fight the fiercest battle
And I'd cross the roughest land
If only I could be sure
I'd have my Mary's hand
And we'll all man the guns for America
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
The sooner it's done
The sooner we've won
The sooner I'll be home
In my dreams I hear
The cannon thundering in the night
But sometimes I wake up screaming
I've soaked my bed in fright
We'll tomorrow I'll be leaving
And I might never come back again
You know I said that I will
I'm a God-fearing patriotic man
Won't you meet me 'neath that old oak tree
Fast as I can. you see I've got my duty to do
As a God-fearing patriotic man
But I'd fight the fiercest battle
And I'd walk the roughest land
If only I could be sure
I'd have Mary's hand
And we'll all man the guns for America
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
Just be there when I get home
Come to me Mary, oh I wanna know
If you still love me, like you told me so
Meet me in the field
Underneath that old oak tree
Oh wont you say you will
When the rooster crows
And the train whistle blows
That's when I'll be gone
You see I got a job to do
My country is at war
But I'd fight the fiercest battle
And I'd cross the roughest land
If only I could be sure
I'd have my Mary's hand
And we'll all man the guns for America
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
The sooner it's done
The sooner we've won
The sooner I'll be home
In my dreams I hear
The cannon thundering in the night
But sometimes I wake up screaming
I've soaked my bed in fright
We'll tomorrow I'll be leaving
And I might never come back again
You know I said that I will
I'm a God-fearing patriotic man
Won't you meet me 'neath that old oak tree
Fast as I can. you see I've got my duty to do
As a God-fearing patriotic man
But I'd fight the fiercest battle
And I'd walk the roughest land
If only I could be sure
I'd have Mary's hand
And we'll all man the guns for America
And we'll all run the enemy home
And we'll all man the guns for America
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
The sooner it's done, the sooner we've won, the sooner I'll get home
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Lyrics and music by Bruce Springsteen
Una delle primissime canzoni scritte da Springsteen e eseguita con il suo primo gruppo, gli Steel Mill, nell'agosto 1970. Recentemente il manoscritto originale è stato esposto nella collezione Springsteen Archives. Springsteen ha ricordato "è una canzone contro la guerra che ho scritto quando avevo 18 o 19 anni.".
This comes from the late ’60s and represents the oldest handwritten lyrics in the Archives’ collection. According to the website, the song was performed by Springsteen’s band Steel Mill in Richmond, Va., in August 1970, “and perhaps at a few other locations during that time.”
The song is written from the point of view of a scared soldier (“sometimes I wake up screaming”) who just wants to go home again.
“They may be the oldest written lyrics, going back into my songwriting, that we have,” Springsteen says in a short video posted along with the artifact on the Archives’ web site. ” ‘Cause I don’t think we have anything before this. And basically it was … I was writing in notebooks at the time … I was writing politically at the time. My recollection was it was an anti-war song I wrote at probably 18 or 19 years old. I can’t believe they found some remaining lyrics … it’s really pretty amazing.”
Springsteen Handwritten Lyrics to “All Man the Guns (For America)” - BSACAM
Springsteen Archives launches ‘Artifact of the Month’ series