Wasting Away and Nowhere To Go

Alone, forgotten in this far away land Lies a soldier, a son and a very weary man Some think he’s dead, others could care less In some jungle in Viet Nam is his only address He didn’t enlist but the man called his name And four years later he’s almost completely insane At daybreak he’s in the fields, at night in the clink With nothing to do but to stare and to think He longs for his mother as tears fill his eyes If she could see him now, she get a huge surprise His girlfriend no doubt has moved on to better things Like dancing and partying and perhaps wedding rings But memories are precious as he clings to them all And oh to have mama’s spaghetti and meatballs Brother Jimmy hopefully will be college bound And never have to fight on any battleground His breathing is raspy, a bloody nose all the time And being drafted by Uncle Sam was his only crime He’s mostly skin and bone and his strength’s about gone He’s been to the bank too often and his account is overdrawn But still he holds on with hope in his heart That one day they’ll release him so he can depart He’s no longer a prisoner, he’s no longer in pain He’s now in the plot where of his comrades have lain Just another POW with perhaps a flag flying high But as for Private Earl Simpson, it was his time to die