Only last June He got his diploma In just a short while Trainin' in Oklahoma Learnin' to shoot To salute, shine a boot Takin' orders, fixin' mortars Guardin' our boarders He was only a boy But had a man's job to do Willing to die For me, for you Set sail for Vietnam To help out our nation Tryin' to put down The Red infiltration Fightin' in trenches Out in drenches and stenches Shootin' headlong At a throng of Viet Cong He was only a boy But had a man's job to do Willing to die Not just for me, but for you He thought about his folks He sure missed his girl
As bullets and shells Around him started to swirl One ripped through his shirt Blood spurt, man it hurt He spun around, fell face down Head to the ground He was only a boy But had a man's job to do Willing to die For me, for you Ah, so his parents got a medal So his girl got his ring But to his country he left One very special thing He helped people stay free From the misery of tyranny Yeah he died without fright In a fight that he knew was right He was only a boy But had a man's job to do Willing to die Not just for me, but for you