Lyric The Captain

Now the Captain called me to his bed
He fumbled for my hand
"Take these silver bars," he said
"I m giving you command."
"Command of what, there s no one here
There s only you and me --
All the rest are dead or in retreat
Or with the enemy."
"Complain, complain, that s all you ve done
Ever since we lost
If it s not the Crucifixion
Then it s the Holocaust."
"May Christ have mercy on your soul
For making such a joke
Amid these hearts that burn like coal
And the flesh that rose like smoke."

"I know that you have suffered, lad,
But suffer this awhile:
Whatever makes a soldier sad
Will make a killer smile."
"I m leaving, Captain, I must go
There s blood upon your hand
But tell me, Captain, if you know
Of a decent place to stand."

"There is no decent place to stand
In a massacre;
But if a woman take your hand
Go and stand with her."
"I left a wife in Tennessee
And a baby in Saigon --
I risked my life, but not to hear
Some country-western song."

"Ah but if you cannot raise your love
To a very high degree,
Then you re just the man I ve been thinking of --
So come and stand with me."
"Your standing days are done," I cried,
"You ll rally me no more.
I don t even know what side
We fought on, or what for."

"I m on the side that s always lost
Against the side of Heaven
I m on the side of Snake-eyes tossed
Against the side of Seven.
And I ve read the Bill of Human Rights
And some of it was true
But there wasn t any burden left
So I m laying it on you."

Now the Captain he was dying
But the Captain wasn t hurt
The silver bars were in my hand
I pinned them to my shirt.