Billy came marching home today
With fire in his eyes and something to say
Hands on the table that nervously tap
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

A man in a uniform came to his school
With medals of honor and stories of battles
Slain by his words in the seat where he sat
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

Talking of courage and heroes in action
Love for the homeland and eternal freedom
A sense of adventure and God-given purpose
Unwavering pride that can not be purchased

Setting in motion his journey to glory
Stone cold devotion to a tired old story
An image of valor was destined to follow
Pathways to victory, pathways to sorrow

Billy went marching off today to the shores of a distant land
The pride of his father and mother’s lament
In God’s heart remain, from heaven was sent
Waiving farewell with a tip of his hat
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

With a smile on his face and hand on his gun
Stands a soldier in place of what once was our son
Trained to shoot targets that look just like men
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

A soldier is different in body and mind
Intent on protecting the country they love
Their goal is never a question of why
To push through the struggle…to do or to die

The heart of a soldier is fierceness on fire
A passion for justice that runs through the heart
They see no retreat when the drums of war beat
To keep moving forward while others depart

With brothers in arms and the weapons of war
And oceans of blood on that faraway shore
Wiped the smile from his face in the trench where he sat
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

As the heavens explode in the breath of hell’s fire
And his body grows numb from his fear and the cold
And his brothers are shredded with bullets of gold
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

He thinks of his loves and the summer sunshine
Says a pure prayer that all will be fine
As black clouds roll by and silence remains
Alone and afraid in a field full of pain

The minutes burn holes in his mind and his soul
Creating deep scars as the battle unfolds
But not for the moment; they hide in plain sight
For some future nightmare or a trick of the light

As he lay on his back looking up to the sky
With his leg in his hand and tears in his eyes
Only death reigns supreme in its dark aftermath
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

Billy was carried back home today
With a thousand-mile stare and nothing to say
We sent them a boy, and they cut him in half
Rat tat tat tat, rat tat tat tat

Where is the child once longing to see
Who marched off to be all he could be
Where is the one-time affectionate son
Who searched for a life, and now he has none

The weapons of war are just tools of rich men
Who play chess with people and then they pretend
For the good of the country, they send you to die
For the guts and the glory and flags that we fly

Billy stares out his window in fear
Watching a world, he can no longer hear
Trembling fingers continuously tap
Rat Tat Tat Tat, Rat Tat Tat Tat

TM DiSarro

©2023 TM DiSarro / MindScapes Publishing

New Book Available on Amazon

POKING HOLES IN THE DARKNESS