Bill Withers recorded this song at the end of the Vietnam War. As I record this now, America, the Land of Peace and Prosperity, is in the middle of two wars. No matter what the politicians in Washington say we're fighting for, they make the decisions, and our young men and women - they go and fight. And some pay the ultimate sacrifice. War is hell - it always has been, it always will be.
When Bill Withers performed this song in Carnegie Hall back in 1973, he told the story of a young man. Bill asked the young man how he was doing. The young man said he was doing alright now, but he had thought he was gonna die. He said getting shot at didn't bother him - it was getting shot that shook him up. So Bill wrote a song about it, tried to put himself in the young man's place.
I can't write left-handed Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother? Tell her to tell, tell her to tell, tell her to tell the family lawyer Trying to get, trying to get a deferment for my younger brother
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older Strange little man over here in Vietnam I ain't, I ain't never seen Bless his heart ain't never done nothing to, He done shot me in my shoulder
Boot camp we had classes You know we talked about fighting, fighting everyday And looking through rosy, rosy colored glasses I must admit it seemed exciting anyway
Oh, but something that day overlooked to tell me, Lord Bullets look better, I must say Brother when they ain't coming at you But going out the other way
And please call up the Reverend, call up, call up the Reverend Harris Tell him to ask the Lord to do some good things for me Tell him I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live To get much older, oh Lord Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't never seen Bless his heart ain't never done nothing to, He done shot me in my shoulder Lord