[Verse 1]
Few of the sins of the father
Are visited upon the son
Hearts have been hard
Hands have been clenched in a fist too long

[Verse 2]
Our sons need never be soldiers
Our daughters will never need guns
These are the years between
These are the years that were hard fought and won

[Verse 3]
Now, contracts torn at the edges
Old signatures stained with tears
Seasons of war and peace
These should not be forgotten years

[Pre-Chorus]
Still it aches like tetanus
It reeks of politics
How many dreams remain?
This is a feeling too strong to contain

[Chorus]
The hardest years, the darkest years
The roarin' years, the fallen years
These should not be forgotten years
The hardest years, the wildest years
The desperate and divided years
We will remember
(These should not be forgotten years)

[Verse 4]
Our shoreline was never invaded
Our country was never in flames
This is the calm we breathe
This is a feeling too strong to contain

[Pre-Chorus]
Still it aches like tetanus
It reeks of politics
Signatures stained with tears
Who can remember?
We've got to remember

[Chorus]
The hardest years, the darkest years
The roarin' years, the fallen years
These should not be forgotten years

The hardest years, the wildest years
The desperate and divided years
We will remember
(These should not be forgotten years)
[Guitar Solo]

[Outro]
I said it's...
The hardest years, the darkest years
The roarin' years, the fallen years
These should not be forgotten years

The hardest years, the wildest years
The desperate and divided years
We will remember
(These should not be forgotten years)

Forsaking, aching, breaking years
The time and tested heartbreak years
These should not be forgotten years
Who needs someone to sing to you now?

The blinded years, the binded years
The desperate and divided years
These should not be forgotten years
(These should not be forgotten years)
Remember!