Ballad of Bruce Ashcroft Lyrics

In 1957 daddy sold the family farm and we moved to Detroit

Had us putting helicopter blades on cargo trains to rail out west

Bossman said "Boy your still young! You can buy back your family farm

Just keep boxing dem blades work your ass off all day and don't break your arm"

Ten years gone by I worked my way up the trade

And that money had been made

And the farm was almost paid

When my number was called

It was tango time

All my hard work was gone

They're shipping me to Nam

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Meet the face of the voice on the 99 news on that pawnshop radio

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Settle down somewhere with a headful of hair on a rusty creek pork

So the helicopter blades took their turn

In carrying me out west

Gave me a rifle to use

And told me to shoot at any plant that moved

There was this boy

Too young

To carry a gun

And he drowned

His gear weighed him down

All the way to the ground

As we crossed the swamp

Then the jungle came alive

And the devil himself had to hide his eyes

And fire rained down from above

As bullets kissed the air

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Meet the face of the voice on the 99 news on that pawnshop radio

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Settle down somewhere with a headful of hair on a rusty creek pork

And three years went by

Of snake bites and full auto blood

When I lost my leg taking a piss on an old landmine

So they sent me home all alone and I wheeled off the plane in my uniform

Someone called me a baby killer

I waived for a taxi

But he flicked me off

I said I just did what I was told

He told me that I was soft

I tried to find a high up job

But I couldn't walk

The smoke alarm went off one night

And I choked my landlord's dog

So I rolled off in the street

Dirtier than Vietnam

And I dreamt of the native hostage starving

Blind barefoot boys building bombs

And the homeless shelter box fan blades

Pumped adrenaline through my veins

And I elbowed my way up through the line

Just to get some food in time

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Meet the face of the voice on the 99 news on that pawnshop radio

I dont wana fight no more ive done my time wont you let me go

Settle down somewhere with a headful of hair on a rusty creek pork

I don't wana fight no more I'm all used up