Johnny can't drink 'cause Johnny ain't twenty-one Yeah but he's eighteen and he's pretty handy with a gun They sent him off to a foreign land Gave him a new pair of boots and thirteen grand And he came back home with American blood on his hands
But George is a real go-getter and he's running the show And he should have known better but his old man told him to go He sits at home with his feet on his desk While the boys got theirs in the sand A million miles away with American blood on their hands
Well Johnny can't walk but the medic said he's okay to fly And the newspapers tell us he's a hero and hell of a guy They sent him up to Washington For a photo op with the smoking gun He's got Purple Heart and American blood on his hands
[Chorus:] Black gold for silver stars Cold hard cash for armored cars The brass ain't fighting but they're sure as hell taking a stand And they'll have to live with American blood on their hands
Now George stands up on a boat proudly waving a flag He says the hard part's over and he knew it wouldn't be so bad The roadside bombs for six long years were never really part of the plan What's a couple thousand more with American blood on their hands?
[Repeat Chorus]
Now Johnny can drink all day 'cause he's twenty-three He donated his legs to the worldwide land of the free He cries God Bless America but God Damn Uncle Sam! While he stares through the tears with American blood on his hands While he stares through the tears with American blood on his hands