ANOTHER JOHN

YOU TRIPPED AND FELL AND I LAUGHED OUT LOUD
THOUGH YOU WERE HURT YOU DIDN'T CRY
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

I WAS FOR MANTEL YOU WERE FOR MARIS
BOTH FOR THE YANKEES
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY
I HAD LOST INTEREST AND YOU WERE EAGER TO PLAY
THROWING THAT PINKY AGAINST THE STOOP 
OR CATCHING LIKE YOGI DOWN AT THE PARK

YOU LIVED TO PLAY BALL ~ I NEVER HAD TIME
YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE ~ MINE HUNG ON THE LINE 

SAME PARENTS SAME HOUSE SAME CHANCES SAME SCHOOLS SAME DINNERS SAME RULES
SAME COATS IN WINTER

I LIKED THAT ORBISON SONG BUT YOU LIKED IT BEST
I'D LISTEN SOMETIMES BUT YOU WERE OBSESSED 
PLAYING OVER AND OVER AND OVER "IT'S OVER"
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

SAME PARENTS SAME HOUSE SAME CHANCES SAME SCHOOLS SAME DINNERS SAME RULES
SAME COATS IN WINTER 

YOU FOLLOWED THE RULES ~ I FOLLOWED MY HEART
THEY LEFT ME BEHIND FOR BEING TOO SMART
THEY LEFT ME BEHIND FOR NOT BEING THERE
AND THAT MADE US ONLY ONE YEAR APART

NERVOUS AND SCRAWNY WITH OTHERS LIKE ME
OUR FINGERS INKED FOR ALL TO SEE 
I REALIZED THEN I WAS IN A DIFFERENT CLASS 
BUT STILL THOUGHT THAT I WOULD SURELY PASS

WHILE YOU STOOD TALL AND WAITED IN LINE
YOU WANTED YOUR TURN TO SHOW YOU WERE FINE
YOU WANTED TO FIGHT ~ YOU THOUGHT IT WAS RIGHT ~ WHILE I BECAME JUST ANOTHER FOUR "F" FUCK UP

NO MORE ABOUT ME ~ THIS IS FOR YOU
YOU WERE THE HERO AND YOU'VE PAID THE PRICE
A RANGER IN NAM AND NOT THINKING TWICE
YOU DROPPED INTO DANGER MANY TIMES OVER
EXPOSED TO AN INSIDIOUS EVIL THAT WOULD ONE DAY DO YOU IN

YOU PLAYED YOUR PART AND WON THE HEARTS OF YOUR RANGER TEAM
YOU HELD BACK THE ENEMY AND BROUGHT THEM ALL OUT OF DANGER ~ OR SO IT WOULD SEEM

PURPLE HEARTS ~ AND YES MORE THAN ONE
MORE COMMENDATIONS AND ONE BRONZE STAR 
YOU WERE A HERO THERE AND AT HOME
WE WELCOMED YOU BACK AND YOU WENT TO WORK DOING WHAT YOU DID BEST
AND YOU RELISHED YOUR ROLE NOT BY BEATING YOUR CHEST
YOU WERE SERGEANT MAJOR IN THE RESERVES AND WE WERE SURELY BLESSED

THAT INSIDIOUS EVIL WAS STILL ALWAYS THERE
LURKING BEHIND IT'S SARCASTIC STARE
WAITING TO POUNCE WHEN YOU'D LEAST EXPECT 
BUT I THINK THAT YOU ALWAYS KNEW IT WOULD GET YOU ONE DAY

YOU WERE FIFTY FOUR WHEN YOU TURNED AROUND AND THE ENEMY CAME AND SHOT YOU DOWN 
NOT WITH GUNS AND REPEATING ROUNDS 
SHOT WITH AGENT ORANGE AND DEAD ON THE GROUND

IT DOESN'T MATTER THE CANCER ~ THEY'RE ALL THE SAME AND AGENT ORANGE IS THE ONE TO BLAME ~ BUT WHAT PLAYS IN MY HEAD IS OVER AND OVER ~ "IT'S OVER" AND YOU MY BROTHER WERE ANOTHER JOHN