Judy Collins - Weight of the World lyrics

I still see my brother Michael, Pressed and polished, shaking hands down at the store Everyone had come to see the all-star hop the greyhound bus and go to war He punched me in the arm to say goodbye It was the first time that I saw our father cry I kept all my brother's letters tied in ribbon in a box beneath my bed Every night I read by flashlight with the covers in a tent above my head His words said "Not to worry, doing fine" It was his way of trying to ease my mind While I was trying not to read between the lines The weight of the world, too heavy to lift So much to lose, so much to miss It doesn't seem fair that an innocent boy Should have to carry the weight of the world Then it was football games and homecoming and Picking out our dresses for the prom With my brother in some desert dodging bullets when he wasn't dodging bombs While we went from the land of brave and free To just being afraid to disagree While I was being brought down to my knees by The weight of the world, too heavy to lift So much to lose, so much to miss It doesn't seem fair that an innocent boy Should have to carry the weight of the world It was the middle of December when the Army sent my brother home at last While the flagpole by the football field flew the colors half-way down the mast The wind blew cold and snow was coming down Still everybody turned out from our town As we laid my brother in that frozen ground The weight of the world, too heavy to lift So much was lost, so much was missed It doesn't seem fair that any boy or any girl Should have to carry the weight of the world