[00:04.280]John Brown went off to war to fight on a foreign shore
[00:08.260]His mama sure was proud of him!
[00:12.550]He stood straight and tall in his uniform and all
[00:16.560]His mama’s face broke out all in a grin
[00:20.660]“Oh son, you look so fine, I’m glad you’re a son of mine“
[00:26.650]You make me proud to know you hold a gun
[00:31.050]Do what the captain says, lots of medals you will get
[00:34.710]0And we’ll put them on the wall when you come home”
[00:40.110]As that old train pulled out, John’s ma began to shout
[00:44.500]Tellin everyone in the neighborhood:
[00:48.460]“That’s my son that’s about to go, he’s a soldier now, you know”“
[00:52.450]She made well sure her neighbors understood
[00:57.600]She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
[01:01.480]As she showed them to the people from next door
[01:05.730]And she bragged about her son with his uniform and gun
[01:09.960]And these things you called a good old-fashioned war
[01:14.430]Oh! Good old-fashioned war!
[01:24.500]Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come
[01:28.600]They ceased to come for about ten months or more
[01:32.930]Then a letter finally came saying, “Go down and meet the train
[01:36.960]Your son’s a-coming home from the war”
[01:46.150]She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
[01:50.230]But she could not see her soldier son in sight
[01:54.480]But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last
[01:58.300]When she did she could hardly believe her eyes
[02:03.550]Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
[02:07.880]And he wore a metal brace around his waist
[02:12.100]He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know
[02:15.800]While she couldn’t even recognize his face!
[02:20.780]Oh! Lord! Not even recognize his face“
[02:31.100]“Oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done“
[02:35.350]How is it you come to be this way?”“
[02:39.510]He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
[02:43.500]And the mother had to turn her face away
[02:48.850]“Don’t you remember, Ma, when I went off to war“
[02:53.050]You thought it was the best thing I could do?
[02:56.460]I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud
[03:00.810]You wasn’t there standing in my shoes”
[03:05.580]“Oh, and I thought when I was there, God, what am I doing here?“
[03:09.860]I’m a-tryin’ to kill somebody or die tryin
[03:13.810]But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
[03:18.030]And I saw that his face looked just like mine”
[03:22.200]Oh! Lord! Just like mine!“
[03:34.030]“And I couldn’t help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink“
[03:38.220]That I was just a puppet in a play
[03:42.360]And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke
[03:46.100]And a cannonball blew my eyes away”
[04:56.450]As he turned away to walk, his Ma was still in shock
[04:01.000]At seein’ the metal brace that helped him stand
[04:05.200]But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
[04:08.630]And he dropped his medals down into her hand