Goodbye Charlie

Eighteen years in the Tennessee sun
Grew up fishing on the Cumberland
Little Joe, the youngest son
Slung a slingshot and a squirrel gun
Daddy ran shine neath the moonlight
Bowling Green to them Nashville nights
Little Joe learned riding shotgun
To keep your mouth shut till the job is done
Sixty-seven rolled around
Joe got the call and he headed on out
Across the ocean for the Vietnam
Gonna hit the coast running gonna be a man
Jackie D meet Mary J
You’re gonna do just what I say
Grab your gun and roll on out
Your first ramble gonna scream and shout
So tie a ribbon round the old oak tree
Tell my momma don’t worry bout me
The weather’s warm around Christmas time
I’ve got an M-16 and my boots are dry
I’m sitting up here like a cat in a tree
Waiting for Charlie, gonna set him free
Uncle Sam said I’m the man
Goodbye Charlie
Bengals on the ground, snakes in the trees
Tet comes a gunning he don’t know about me
Johnny’s in the front Charlie’s in the back
Tree comes a crashing six days in the black
Open your eyes now Joe’s done his time
Come back alive but he done left his mind
Uncle Sam said, «Son thank you
Lay down your guns cause we re through with you.»
Now I see the ribbon round the old oak tree
I told my momma don’t worry bout me
The weather’s warm around Christmas time
I’ve got an M-16 and my boots are dry
I’m sitting up here like a cat in a tree
Waiting for Charlie, gonna set him free
Uncle Sam said I’m the man
Goodbye Charlie