Tom T. Hall
Mama Bake a Pie (Daddy Kill a Chicken)
People staring at me as they wheel me
Down the ramp towards my plane
The war is over for me
I've forgotten everything except the pain
Thank you sir and yes sir
It was worth it for the ol' red, white and blue
And since I won't be walking
I suppose I'll save some money buying shoes
The bottle hidden underneath the blanket
Over my two battered legs
I can see the stewardess makin' over me
And askin' me, "Were you afraid?"
I'll say, "Why? No, I'm Superman
And couldn't find the phone booth quite in time"
A GI gets a lot of laughs
If he remembers all the funny lines
Mama bake a pie
Daddy kill a chicken
Your son is coming home
11:35, Wednesday night
Mama will be crying, daddy's gonna say
"Son, did they treat you good?"
My uncle will be drunk and he'll say
"Boy, they doing some real great things with wood"
The letter that she wrote me said, "Goodbye"
She couldn't wait and lots of luck
The bottle underneath the blanket
Feels just like an old friend to my touch
And I know she'll come and see me
But I bet she never once looks at my legs
She'll just talk about the weather
And the dress she wore the July 4th parade
Lord, I love her so much
And I don't think I can drink her off my mind
And I can see it in the paper
Where they're sayin' that the war's a waste of time
Mama bake a pie
Daddy kill a chicken
Your son is coming home
11:35, Wednesday night
Your son is coming home
11:35, Wednesday night