John Brown

John Brown - Bob Dylan

John Brown went off to war called to battle on a foreign shore

And his mother she sure was proud of him

When he stood so straight and tall in his uniform and all

His mother's face broke out in a glowing grin

She said Son you look so fine I'm so glad you're a son of mine

You make me proud to know you hold a gun

Do what your captain says an lots of medals you will get

Then we'll hang them on the wall when you come home

As that evening train pulled out John's ma began to shout

Telling everybody in the neighborhood

That's my son that's about to go he's a soldier now you know

And she made well sure her neighbors understood

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile

Then she showed them to the people from next door

And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun

And this thing they called a good old-fashioned war

Then the letters ceased to come

For a long time they did not come

Ceased to come for about ten months or more

Then when letter finally came saying

Go down and meet the train

Your son is coming back from the war

She smiled and she went right down she looked up and all around

She did not see her soldier son in sight

When all the people passed she saw her son at last

When she did she could not believe her eyes

His face was all shot up and his hand were blown away

And he wore a metal brace around his waist

He whispered kind of slow in a voice she didn't know

And she couldn't even recognize his face

Oh my darling son tell me what they've done

How is it that you come to be this way

He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move

And his mother had to turn her face away

Don't you remember ma when I went off to war

You thought it was the best thing I could do

I was on the battleground you were home acting proud

You weren't there standing in my shoes

And I thought when I was there Lord what am I doing here

Tryin' to kill somebody or die tryin'

But the thing that scared me most when my enemy came close

I can see that his face looked just like mine

And I couldn't help but think through the thunder rolling and stink

I was just a puppet in a play

And through the roar and smoke this string it finally broke

And a cannon ball blew my eyes away

As he turned away to go his mother was acting slow

Seein' the metal brace that helped him stand

But as he turned to leave he called his mother close

And he dropped his medals down into her hand