He was getting old and paunchy
and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion
telling stories of his past
Of a war that he had fought in
and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies-
they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes to his neighbors,
his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened,
for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer,
for a veteran died today.
He won't be mourned by many,
just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary,
quick and uneventful life
Held a job and raised a family,
quietly going his own way
And the world won't note his passing,
tho' a veteran died today.
When politicians leave this earth,
their bodies lie in state
While thousands note their passing
and proclaim that they were great,
Papers tell their life stories
from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a veteran goes
unnoticed and unsung.
In the greatest contribution
to the welfare of our land
One guy breaks his promises
and cons his fellow man
But the ordinary fellow, who
in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
and offers up his life.
A politician's stipend and
the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate
to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier
who offered up his all
Is paid off with a medal
and perhaps a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them,
for it was so long ago
That the old Bills of our country
went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with
their compromise and ploys
Who won for us the freedom
that our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger
with your enemies at hand
Would you want a politician
with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier
who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and country
and would fight right to the end?
He was just a common soldier
and his ranks are growing thin
But his presence should remind us
we will need his likes again.
For when countries are in conflict
then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
at the ending of his days
Perhaps just a simple headline
in a paper that would say,
Our country is in mourning
because a veteran died today.