Johnny can't drink 'cause Johnny ain't twenty-one 
Ya but he's eighteen and he's pretty handy with a gun 
they sent him off to a foreign land gave him a new pair of boots and thirteen grand and he came back home with american blood on his hands george is a real go getter and he's runnin' the show and he should have known better but his old man told him to go 
he sits at home with his feet on his desk while the boys got their's in the sand 
a million miles away with american blood on their hands 

johnny can't walk but the medic says he's o.k. to fly 
and the newspapers tell us he's a hero and a hell of a guy 
they sent him up to washington for a photo op with a smoking gun 
he's got a purple heart and american blood on his hands 

black gold for silver stars 
cold hard cash for armored cars 
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand 
and they'll have to live with american blood on their hands 

now George stands up on a boat proudly waving the flag 
he says the hard part's over and we knew it wouldn't be so bad 
but roadside bombs and six long years were never really part of the plan 
what's a couple thousand more with american blood on their hands 

black gold for silver stars 
cold hard cash for armored cars 
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand 
and they'll have to live with american blood on their hands 

now johnny can drink all day 'cause he's twenty-three 
he donated his legs to the worldwide land of the free 
he cries God bless america but God damn uncle sam 
while he stares through the tears with american blood on his hands 

black gold for silver stars 
cold hard cash for armored cars 
the brass ain't fightin' but they're sure as hell taking a stand 
and they'll have to live with american blood on their hands