What kind of a welcome is it to say...."don't stray too far....we may need you again"?
A guy hardly gets to take his boots off and hug his children....and then.....what?
Two...three tours? And now Iran looms on the delusional neocon calendar.

  High winds and heavy rain
messed up head and a phantom pain
taking him back to god knows where
from over here to over there

From his bed he's carried back in dreams
to dirty faces and bloody streams
no sense then and no sense now
wants to come home but he don't know how

Too much to see and nothing to do
but hug the ground and review
the steps that brought you to this place
and remember the faces just in case

Welcome home soldier
from your stay on the line
you may find yourself back there
from time to time
but first enjoy the parades
and the cheers
the admiring glances
and the free beers
but when the crowds disperse
and the lights go out
you may find yourself
with some doubts
pay no attention to the man
behind the screen
in war all is rarely
what it seems
Welcome home soldier
Welcome home

Picking up pieces he can't even find
the incomprehension it preys on his mind
how to explain what poets have tried
to a terrified mother or a new blushing bride

Some friends are gone...some are still there
some are in pieces and just sit and stare
we all tread lightly....never sure what to say
wishing the distance would just go away

Heroes and villains...saints and thieves
some on a throne...and some on their knees
missions are different but the mission remains
to keep blood pumping through the veins

Welcome home soldier
from your stay on the line
you may find yourself back there
from time to time
but first enjoy the parades
and the cheers
the admiring glances
and the free beers
but when the crowds disperse
and the lights go out
you may find yourself
with some doubts
pay no attention to the man
behind the screen
in war all is rarely
what it seems
Welcome home soldier
Welcome home

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