Drive-By Truckers - The Sands Of Iwo Jima Lyrics
George A. was at the movies in December '41They announced it in the lobby what had just gone onHe drove up from Birmingham back to the family's farmThought he'd get him a deferment there's was much work to be doneHe was a family man, even in those daysBut Uncle Sam decided he was needed anywayIn the South Pacific over half a world awayHe believed in God and Country, things was just that wayJust that way..When I was just a kid I spent every weekendOn the farm that he grew up on so I guess so did IAnd we'd stay up watching movies on the black and white TVWe watched "The Sands of Iwo Jima" starring John WayneEvery year in June George A. goes to a reunionOf the men that he served with and their wives and kids and grandkidsMy Great Uncle used to take me and I'd watch them recollectabout some things I couldn't comprehendAnd I thought about that movie, asked if it was that wayHe just shook his head and smiled at me in such a loving wayAs he thought about some friends he will never see againHe said "I never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima"Most of those men are gone now but he goes still every yearAnd George A's still doing fine, especially for his yearsHe's still living on that homestead in the house that he was born inAnd I sure wish I could go see him todayHe never drove a new car though he could easily afford itHe'd just buy one for the family and take whatever no one wantedHe said a shiny car didn't mean much after all the things he'd seenGeorge A. never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima