King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran red through the land
The year, fifteen hundred and twenty

The year is now nineteen sixty five
It's easier far to stay alive
Just keep your mouth shut while the planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean

Simon was drafted in sixty-three
In sixty-four, sent over the sea
Last month this letter he sent to me
He said, "You won't like what I'm saying"

He said, We've no friends here, no hardly a one
We've got a few generals who just want our guns
But it will take more than them if we're ever to win
Why, we'll have to flatten the country

It's my own troops I have to watch out for, he said
I sleep with a pistol right under my head
He wrote this last month, last week he was dead
And Simon came home in a casket

I mind my own business, I watch my TV
Complain about taxes, but pay anyway
In a civilized manner, my forefathers betray
Who long ago struggled for freedom
But each day a new headline screams at my bluff
On TV some general says, "We must be tough"
In my dreams I stare at this family I love
All gutted and spattered with napalm

King Henry marched forth, a sword in his hand
Two thousand horsemen all at his command
In a fortnight the rivers ran red through the land
The year, fifteen hundred and twenty

The year is now nineteen sixty five
It's easier far to stay alive
Just keep your mouth shut while the planes zoom and dive
Ten thousand miles over the ocean