Oh, she knows
She takes his hand and prays the child will understand
At the door they watch the men go by
In the clothes that daddy wore

Mothers pride, baby boy, his father's eyes
He's a soldier waiting for war
Time will come, he'll hold a gun, his father's son

And as he grows
He hears the band, takes the step from boy to man
And at the shore she waves her son goodbye
Like the man she did before

Mothers pride, just a boy, his country's eyes
He's a soldier waving at the shore
And in her heart the time has come to lose a son

And all the husbands, all the sons, all the lovers gone
They make no difference, no difference in the end
Still hear the woman say your daddy died a hero
In the name of God and man

Mothers pride, crazy boy, his lifeless eyes
He's a soldier now forevermore
He'll hold a gun 'til kingdom come