[Verse 1]
The enemy came at us with a boot knife
We gave ‘em hell ‘with everything we got’
A distant ghostly cry
See the cameras pan the sky
And pastel stars change color in the lot
Fear, it takes the form of a stranger
And travels through like electricity
Now that we are headed out of danger
You’re shaking in the glare of the marquee

[Chorus]
Donny’s fading in the bright
Bowling alley lights
I didn’t hear a shot ring out
But a man is down tonight
A man is down tonight

[Verse 2]
Like so many others of his generation
Taken from the world before his time
He played a perfect game
Gave the spelling of his name
To the cashier for the winner’s outdoor sign
And I can’t seem to pull it all together
So here we join him to his ocean bride
Inside her stranglehold
He was a faithful soldier
In the service of her rising morning tide

[Chorus]
Now Donny’s fading in the bright
Bowling alley lights
I didn’t hear a shot ring out
But a man is down tonight
A man is down tonight