After the Parade
Dan Bern * Track #5 On My Country II
Download "After the Parade"
After the Parade by Dan Bern
Performed by
Dan BernAbout
Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein) has been an unabashed songwriter of anti-war songs throughout his career, particularly during the second Iraq War under George W. Bush. This little ballad perfectly captures the hypocrisy of the photo-ops and celebrations of a wounded young veteran, and the bittern...
After the Parade Lyrics
I shot two men in a military car
On a road in a country I can't pronounce
I saw their eyes when I pulled the trigger
Then checked the back seat for the body count
I know I'm lucky, I could have been
The one beneath the clover
But who do you think will push my chair
After the parade is over
A three star general at my back
And another one up at the microphone
They call me a hero and sing, Say can you see
To the pole where the flag is flown
Everyone stands when my name is called
I alone must sit in the goddamn sun, and
Who do you think will push my chair
After the parade is done
Maybe I'll go to college
GI bill
GI bill
Maybe I'll go into politics
Yes I will
Yes I will
I'm glad for the disability benefits
I'm glad for the medals and the ribbons and the songs
I hope the blisters on my fingers
Turn into calluses before too long
I'm glad my mother could be here today
I'm glad somebody drove her
And maybe she will push my chair
After the parade is over
Maybe she will push my chair
After the parade is over